Wavyleaf basketgrass

Oplismenus undulatifolius, the wavyleaf basketgrass, is a creeping perennial grass of shaded forest floors, native to temperate and tropical Eurasia and now an aggressive invader of eastern North American woodlands. Plants form low, spreading mats of decumbent, freely rooting stems 20-60 cm long that ascend at the tips. The lanceolate to broadly lanceolate leaves are 3-8 cm long and 7-15 mm wide, distinctively crinkled or undulate along the margins, soft-pubescent, and bright green. Sheaths are short and hairy, with very short ciliate ligules. The slender, ascending inflorescence is a narrow raceme-like panicle 4-10 cm long, bearing widely spaced clusters of small spikelets along an axis. Each spikelet is about 3 mm long, awned, and exudes a sticky substance that adheres the diaspores to fur, feathers, and clothing. Flowering occurs in late summer and autumn. It carpets shaded deciduous forest understorey, especially on moist humus-rich soils.