cogon

American  

[koh-gohn] / koʊˈgoʊn /

noun

1. a tall, coarse grass, Imperata cylindrica, of the tropics and subtropics, used widely for thatching.

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cogon British  

/ ˈkəʊɡəʊn /

noun

1. any of the coarse tropical grasses of the genus Imperata, esp I. cylindrica and I. exaltata of the Philippines, which are used for thatching

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Etymology

Origin of cogon

1895–1900; < Spanish < Tagalog kugon

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cogon

Last year, the sanctuary had about 150 miniature pigs that its owners were using to remove invasive cogon grass around the Florida Panhandle community of Cantonment, the Pensacola News Journal reported.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 8, 2023

He has run field experiments that simulate how drought affects longleaf pine forests invaded by cogon grass from Asia, which can grow in dense, waist-high thickets topped with fluffy seed heads.

From Science Magazine ● Aug. 3, 2022

In those infested with cogon grass, the fires burned hotter and the flames rose higher than in plots without the grass.

From Science Magazine ● Aug. 3, 2022

The flammable cogon grass, a catalyst for wildfires, began as a packaging material and forage crop to herders.

From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2021

After assuring them that the sickness will now fall away from them, she waves burning cogon grass over their heads while she cries, “Go away, sickness.”

From The Tinguian Social, Religious, and Economic Life of a Philippine Tribe by Cole, Fay-Cooper