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Lawn grass guide · Warm-season grass
Kikuyugrass
Cenchrus clandestinus
- Warm-season
- Rhizomes and stolons
- Federal noxious weed
- Aggressive spreader
- Heat tolerant
- Partial shade
- Cold sensitive
Kikuyugrass is a coarse, light green, fast-spreading African grass that is a major turf weed in coastal California and a listed federal noxious weed. Where it has already taken over, it can be managed as a tough, low-input turf.
Mowing & careAll lawn grasses
- Type: Warm-season · Rhizomes and stolons
- Mow at: 1 to 1.5 in., mowed often (UC IPM)
- Shade: Does well in relatively shady conditions (UC IPM).
- Drought: Recovers from drought (UC IPM).
- Plant by: UC IPM gives no planting method for lawns. It spreads by seed and by stem pieces, and moves in contaminated soil, sod and planting stock.
What is kikuyugrass?
Kikuyugrass (Cenchrus clandestinus, long known as Pennisetum clandestinum) is a warm-season perennial grass from Africa (UC IPM names Uganda as its home). It spreads flat along the ground with thick, fleshy stolons that root at every node and rhizomes 1 to 4 in. deep, so a single chopped piece can start a new plant.
In California, UC IPM treats it mainly as a weed. It moves on mowers, tillers and renovation equipment and in contaminated soil, sod and plants. Once it covers about 40 percent of a turf area, UC IPM says it may be easier to manage it as the main turf than to fight it.
As turf, it is coarse and light green but tough: heat tolerant, fairly shade tolerant, low in disease and quick to recover from damage. It scalps and builds heavy thatch unless it is mowed often. Our weed identification section covers other invasive lawn grasses.
How to identify kikuyugrass
Pull up a few shoots and look closely where the leaf blade meets the stem. Here is what to check on kikuyugrass:
- Vernation: Folded in the bud.
- Ligule: A fringe of hairs.
- Auricles: None.
- Collar: A long fringe of hairs running parallel to the stem.
- Leaf blade: 1 to 10 in. long, about 1/8 to 1/4 in. wide, flat, tapering to a point, slightly hairy, with rows of hairs.
- Sheath: Slightly flattened and hairy.
- Seedhead: Flowers are tucked into the leaf sheaths; mostly the stamens show, on slender white filaments. Male and female parts are separate. Seeds are dark brown, about 1/8 in., hidden in the end sheaths.
- Growth habit: Thick, fleshy stolons that root at the nodes, plus rhizomes 1 to 4 in. deep.
Where kikuyugrass is grown in the US
Kikuyugrass is best suited to the warm temperate coast and inland valleys of Southern and Central California (UC IPM). The USDA brought it in in 1915 and tested it in California in 1916 as a ground cover for ditch-bank erosion. It spread quickly beyond those sites and became a serious weed.
Today it shows up in California lawns, turf, roadsides, landscapes and orchards. UC IPM says it is seldom planted on purpose, though some managers now keep it as the main turf where it has already taken over, and some finer-bladed commercial varieties are sold for turf.
Kikuyugrass is on the federal noxious weed list (7 CFR 360.200, terrestrial weeds, listed as Pennisetum clandestinum; checked against the current eCFR text), and UC IPM notes that its sale and transport are prohibited in several California counties. Check federal, state and county rules before buying, moving or planting it.
Kikuyugrass pros and cons
Pros
- Tolerates heat and relatively shady sites
- Recovers quickly from wear and injury
- Low disease incidence
- Low fertility needs (about 2 lb N per 1,000 sq ft per year)
- Recovers from drought
Cons
- Listed federal noxious weed; sale and transport barred in several California counties
- Extremely aggressive; invades lawns, beds and orchards
- Spreads from stem pieces on mowers and tillers and in soil or sod
- Heavy thatch and uneven, scalp-prone surface
- Coarse, light green look
- Cold sensitive; dormant or semi-dormant in winter
Grasses that look like kikuyugrass
| Grass | How to tell it apart |
|---|---|
| St. Augustinegrass Stenotaphrum secundatum | St. Augustinegrass has rounded leaf tips, sharply folded blades, and smooth leaves and stems. Kikuyugrass is slightly hairy and also has underground rhizomes. |
How and when to plant kikuyugrass
Ways to plant: UC IPM gives no planting method for lawns. It spreads by seed and by stem pieces, and moves in contaminated soil, sod and planting stock.
Seeding dates change from state to state. See when to plant grass seed by state, or our Pennsylvania grass seed guide if you are in PA.
How to care for kikuyugrass
Mowing: Mow often at 1 to 1.5 in.; it scalps if mowing is put off. Clean mowers before leaving an infested area so you do not carry stem pieces to new ground (UC IPM).
Watering: Water deeply but infrequently (UC IPM).
Fertilizing: About 2 lb N per 1,000 sq ft per year from February through November, cutting back in the hottest months (UC IPM).
Nitrogen per year: 2 lb N per 1,000 sq ft per year, spread over active growth from February through November, with less in the hottest months (UC IPM).
Overseeding: Not covered for kikuyu turf. Where kikuyu is invading other turf, UC IPM advises overseeding thin areas and keeping the desired grass dense; vigorous tall fescue can slow, but not stop, its spread.
Thatch: Heavy. Stolons build a thick mat above the soil that makes the surface uneven and harder to mow (UC IPM).
Questions we get about kikuyugrass
Is kikuyugrass a weed?
Usually, yes. UC IPM calls it a weed in coastal and some inland areas of California because it grows so aggressively, and it is on the federal noxious weed list. UC IPM says it is seldom planted on purpose, though some sites now manage it as turf.
Is it legal to plant kikuyugrass?
It is on the federal noxious weed list (7 CFR 360.200, as Pennisetum clandestinum), and UC IPM notes its sale and transport are prohibited in several California counties. Check with your state and county agriculture office before buying, moving or planting it.
How do I tell kikuyugrass from St. Augustinegrass?
Feel the leaves. Kikuyugrass leaves and stems are slightly hairy, and it has rhizomes. St. Augustinegrass is smooth, with rounded, sharply creased leaf tips and only surface runners (UC IPM).
Why does my lawn have a white, fuzzy look?
If it is kikuyugrass, that cast is likely its stamens. UC IPM says the pollen sacs hang above the leaves on slender white filaments and are often mistaken for a fungus.
How do I keep kikuyugrass out of planting beds?
UC IPM suggests overlapped landscape fabric or black plastic to block it (organic mulches may not stop it), hand weeding, and avoiding hoeing, which breaks rhizomes and spreads it. Any herbicide use belongs to a licensed applicator using products labeled for that use; the label is the law.
How high should I mow kikuyugrass?
UC IPM suggests 1 to 1.5 in., mowed often, to avoid scalping and limit thatch.
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Sources: Kikuyugrass, Pest Notes 7458, UC Statewide IPM Program · Kikuyugrass, UC IPM Turfgrass Species · Kikuyugrass maintenance tips, UC IPM · Federal Noxious Weed List, 7 CFR 360.200 (eCFR, current text) · Noxious Weeds Program, USDA APHIS · USDA PLANTS Database: Pennisetum clandestinum (PECL2)
Checked Nov. 14, 2026. Pesticides: always read and follow the product label. Applicator licensing rules vary by state.
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