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Useful Tropical Plants

Eragrostis curvula

(Schrad.) Nees

Poaceae

+ Synonyms

Eragrostis capillifolia Nees

Eragrostis chloromelas Steud.

Eragrostis filiformis (Thunb.) Nees

Eragrostis huillensis Rendle

Eragrostis jeffreysii Hack.

Eragrostis lehmanniana ampla Stapf

Eragrostis poa Stapf

Eragrostis procerior Rendle

Eragrostis pubiculmis Jedwabn

Eragrostis robusta Stent

Eragrostis subulata Nees

Eragrostis thunbergiana Steud.

Eragrostis valida Stent

Poa atrovirens Nees

Poa capensis Steud.

Poa curvula Schrad.

Poa filiformis Thunb.

Common Name: Weeping Love Grass

Eragrostis curvula
Cultivated plant in the Botanischer Garten München-Nymphenburg, Munich, Germany
Photograph by: Daderot
Public domain
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General Information

Weeping love grass is a densely clump-forming perennial grass with culms up to 1 metre tall[
332
Title
The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
Burkil. H. M.
Publisher
Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
Year
1985 - 2004
ISBN
 
Description
Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials. It can be used in soil stabilization projects.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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.
,
266
Title
Flora of China
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
Publisher
Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
Year
1994
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
,
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

Africa - Cameroon, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Burundi, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, south to S. Africa.

Habitat

Widespread, in montane grassland and in dambos, floodplain grassland, wooded grassland on Kalahari Sand, in miombo woodland and on rocky outcrops and hillsides; also in disturbed ground at roadsides; at elevations from 430 - 2,140 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

Edibility Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitEvergreen Perennial
Height1.20 m
PollinatorsApomixy, Wind
Self-fertileYes
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

Weeping love grass is a plant of the tropics and subtropics of Africa, widely cultivated as a pasture grass in other parts of the tropics. It grows best in areas where the mean annual temperatures are within the range 5.9 to 26.2°c and, when dormant, can survive temperatures down to about -5°c[
269
Title
Handbook of Energy Crops
Publication
 
Author
Duke. J.
Publisher
-
Year
1983
ISBN
-
Description
Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of both temperate and tropical plants.
]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 310 - 1630mm[
269
Title
Handbook of Energy Crops
Publication
 
Author
Duke. J.
Publisher
-
Year
1983
ISBN
-
Description
Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of both temperate and tropical plants.
].
Prefers an open, sunny position. Easily grown in most well-drained soils, preferring sandy loams[
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.
,
269
Title
Handbook of Energy Crops
Publication
 
Author
Duke. J.
Publisher
-
Year
1983
ISBN
-
Description
Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of both temperate and tropical plants.
]. It is adapted to semi-arid and desert areas and sandy soils, growing well on low fertility soils[
269
Title
Handbook of Energy Crops
Publication
 
Author
Duke. J.
Publisher
-
Year
1983
ISBN
-
Description
Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of both temperate and tropical plants.
]. Prefers a pH in the range of 5.0 to 8.2[
269
Title
Handbook of Energy Crops
Publication
 
Author
Duke. J.
Publisher
-
Year
1983
ISBN
-
Description
Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of both temperate and tropical plants.
]. Once established, it is a very drought-resistant plant[
269
Title
Handbook of Energy Crops
Publication
 
Author
Duke. J.
Publisher
-
Year
1983
ISBN
-
Description
Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of both temperate and tropical plants.
].
The roots contain pyrocatechol, suggesting an explanation for the plants resistance to nematodes[
269
Title
Handbook of Energy Crops
Publication
 
Author
Duke. J.
Publisher
-
Year
1983
ISBN
-
Description
Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of both temperate and tropical plants.
].
The species and its varieties are apomictic (producing seed without fertilization) although sexual plants have occasionally been found[
269
Title
Handbook of Energy Crops
Publication
 
Author
Duke. J.
Publisher
-
Year
1983
ISBN
-
Description
Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of both temperate and tropical plants.
].

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked[
269
Title
Handbook of Energy Crops
Publication
 
Author
Duke. J.
Publisher
-
Year
1983
ISBN
-
Description
Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of both temperate and tropical plants.
]. Used as a grain[
269
Title
Handbook of Energy Crops
Publication
 
Author
Duke. J.
Publisher
-
Year
1983
ISBN
-
Description
Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of both temperate and tropical plants.
]. The seed is small and fiddly to utilize - it is most commonly seen as a famine food, used when nothing better is available[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

A deep-rooted plant, it is considered excellent for protecting terraces and for grassing water channels and is valuable for erosion control[
269
Title
Handbook of Energy Crops
Publication
 
Author
Duke. J.
Publisher
-
Year
1983
ISBN
-
Description
Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of both temperate and tropical plants.
].

Other Uses

The plant is used to make baskets, brooms, hats, ropes, and candles[
269
Title
Handbook of Energy Crops
Publication
 
Author
Duke. J.
Publisher
-
Year
1983
ISBN
-
Description
Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of both temperate and tropical plants.
].

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ, only just covering the seed. Germination is usually very quick and free.
Division.
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-10-12. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Eragrostis+curvula>

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