COLUMBIA - Agriculture and forestry officials are warning farmers, gardeners and other outdoor enthusiasts to watch out for an invasive weed that is spreading across the Southeast.

Cogongrass is an invasive weed from Asia that spreads quickly and disrupts ecosystems, reduces wildlife habitat and can decrease tree seedling growth and establishment.

The weed also secretes chemicals into the ground that prevents other plants from surviving. It is known to infest golf courses, lawns, pastures, and highway rights-of-way.

Cogongrass is considered one of the 10 worst invasive plant species in the world and has been banned in South Carolina.

It is also listed as a federal noxious weed. The weed is believed to have invaded more than one million acres in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi., Louisiana, Georgia, and Texas.

So far cogongrass has been found in seven South Carolina counties — Allendale, Anderson, Aiken, Beaufort, Charleston, Hampton and Pickens.

Cogongrass spreads rapidly either through wind-blown seed and underground rhizomes.

Once established, it can choke out native plants, destroy sources of food for wildlife and raise the potential for forest fires.

Cogongrass looks like several grasses already found in South Carolina that aren’t invasive.

When it’s not in the flowering stage it’s fairly inconspicuous. The flowers are conspicuous with a stark whitish color. Almost all the spots found are circular.

The grass doesn’t have a stem.

Cogongrass can be spread by a tractor driven through a field infested with the weed or by an all-terrain vehicle that has been driven through infested hunting lands in other states.

Report suspicious weeds on your property or in your county by visiting www.clemson.edu/for/cogon.html or by calling your local Clemson Extension county agent.

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