What does cogon mean?
Cogon is the common name for Imperata cylindrica, a tall, coarse perennial grass native to tropical Asia and widely naturalized across warm regions of the world. Its stiff, razor-edged leaves and dense underground rhizomes allow it to spread aggressively, crowding out crops and native plants, which has earned it a reputation as one of the world's worst invasive weeds. In the Philippines and much of Southeast Asia the word is part of everyday vocabulary, describing the rough grassland that springs up on abandoned land; in the southeastern United States, where the grass arrived in the early twentieth century as packing material, cogon is chiefly discussed by farmers, foresters, and land managers battling its spread. The word carries connotations of barrenness and neglect — land 'gone to cogon' is land given over to an unproductive tangle that resists clearing and burns fiercely when dry.
nounA tall, coarse tropical grass (Imperata cylindrica) with sharp-edged leaves and a silvery flower plume, widespread in warm regions of Asia and Africa and considered a highly invasive weed in the southeastern United States.
- The tropical invasive grass Imperata cylindrica, especially as a weed in fields and pastures.
"The abandoned field had been completely overtaken by cogon within a few seasons."
"The abandoned field was soon blanketed in dense stands of cogon."
"Fire races through dry cogon faster than through almost any other vegetation."
Usually treated as a mass noun ('a field of cogon'); the plural is rare and used mostly when referring to distinct patches or varieties.
"Two separate infestations of cogons were found along the roadside."
Cogon grass can ruin farmland so thoroughly that farmers say the only real cure is to stop growing crops there for years.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cogon
Cogon entered English through Philippine Spanish, adapted from Tagalog kugon, the local name for the grass. It became established in English during the period of American involvement in the Philippines at the turn of the twentieth century, appearing in colonial-era agricultural and botanical writing before spreading into wider ecological usage.
Related word forms
How cogon is actually used
Most often encountered in agricultural, ecological, and regional Southeast Asian contexts. In the Philippines it is a familiar word for rough grassland; in North American usage it appears mainly in discussions of invasive-species control.
Easily confused with cogon
Sugarcane is a cultivated crop grown for sugar, while cogon is a weedy wild grass that invades land and has no agricultural value.