| DESCRIPTION: Sward-forming, stoloniferous, sometimes rhizomatous grass, and tufted with basal nodes swollen; generally smaller than the mosambicensis type, with foliage mostly 10ˆ30 cm, and culms 30ˆ70 (ˆ100) cm tall. Leaf blades 40ˆ130 mm long, 2ˆ9 mm wide. USE: Mostly used for permanent pasture, but makes good hay. It is effective for erosion control and other applications where rapid establishment and good ground cover are advantageous. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial. COMMON NAMES: Buffalo grass. FURTHER INF: Native of Central Africa between about 22 and 29ºS. Usually found in wooded grassland and deciduous bushland, near rivers or pans or on disturbed sites at elevations between sea level and 1000 m. Found in areas with 500-1000 mm annual rainfall. Found on lighter textured soils from sands to clay loams, sometimes of calcareous origin with a pH from 5.8ˆ8.5. It prefers fertile soils but are also found on infertile sites. DM yields vary between 1-8 t/ha. |