Cymbopogon caesius
(Nees ex Hook. & Arn.) Stapf
Poaceae
Andropogon bicornis Forssk.
Andropogon caesius Nees
Andropogon connatus Hochst. ex A.Rich.
Andropogon excavatus Hochst.
Andropogon foliatus Steud.
Andropogon nardoides minor Nees
Andropogon schoenanthus caesius (Hook. & Arn.) Hack.
Andropogon schoenanthus gracillimus Hook.f.
Cymbopogon connatus (A.Rich.) Chiov.
Cymbopogon excavatus (Hochst.) Stapf ex Burtt Davy
Cymbopogon plicatus Stapf
Cymbopogon suaveolens Pilg.
Gymnanthelia connata (A.Rich.) Schweinf. & Asch.
Common Name: Kachi Grass
General Information
Cymbopogon caesius is a very aromatic, evergreen, clump-forming perennial grass growing to 2 metres tall, occasionally to 3 metres[
308- Title
- Flora Zambesiaca
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.
].
The plant is gathered from the wild and used to obtain an essential oil[
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
], and is also occasionally cultivated for this purpose[
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
308- Title
- Flora Zambesiaca
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.
Range
Southern and eastern Africa - S. Africa, north to Eritrea, Arabia to India and southern China.
Habitat
Growing in grassland, savannah, open forest, dambos, fallow fields, waste ground and old maize fields, and along roadsides at elevations of 50 - 1,550 metres[
308- Title
- Flora Zambesiaca
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.
].
Properties
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Perennial |
| Height | 0.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Cultivated, Wild |
Cultivation Details
Species in this genus generally grow best in a sunny position in a moisture-retentive but well-drained soil. Many of them are found in dry soils in the wild[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
An essential oil, called 'oil of kachi grass', is obtained from the plant[
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
].
The culms are used to make ornamental bracelets[
775- Title
- Gemsbok Bean and Kalahari Truffle
- Publication
-
- Author
- Leffers A.
- Publisher
- Gamsberg MacMillan; Namibia.
- Year
- 2003
- ISBN
- 99916-0-491-X
- Description
- Details of the traditional uses of over 200 species of plants in northeastern Namibia. Written for the non-expert, there is usually at least one photograph with each plant entry.
].
Propagation
Seed - surface sow or only just cover, sowing the seeds in a nursery seedbed. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots at the 3 - 4 leaf stage and grow on until large enough to plant out. Seed can also be sown in situ, but this often results in heavy weed infestation[
310- Title
- Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://proseanet.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].
Division of established clumps. This is best done annually or they can become too crowded and suffer. The offshoots of this species often fail to establish[
310- Title
- Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://proseanet.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
