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Useful Tropical Plants

Eragrostis pilosa

(L.) P.Beauv.

Poaceae

+ Synonyms

Catabrosa verticillata (Cav.) P.Beauv.

Eragrostis afghanica Gand.

Eragrostis albensis H.Scholz

Eragrostis bagdadensis Boiss.

Eragrostis baguirmiensis A.Chev.

Eragrostis bicolor Boiss.

Eragrostis bithynica Griseb.

Eragrostis collocarpa K.Schum.

Eragrostis damiensiana laxior Thell.

Eragrostis filiformis Link

Eragrostis gracilis Schrad.

Eragrostis gracilis Velen.

Eragrostis gracillima Hack.

Eragrostis imberbis (Franch.) Prob.

Eragrostis indica (J.Koenig ex Rottler) Willd. ex Steud.

Eragrostis jeholensis Honda

Eragrostis linkii (Kunth) Steud.

Eragrostis longipes Keng

Eragrostis multispicula Kitag.

Eragrostis petersii Trin.

Eragrostis punctata (L.f.) Link ex Steud.

Eragrostis senegalensis (Desv.) A.Chev.

Eragrostis tenuiflora Rupr. ex Steud.

Eragrostis verticillata (Cav.) P.Beauv.

Poa bohemica J.C.Mayer ex Mert. & W.D.J.Koch

Poa chilensis Steud.

Poa delicatior Steud.

Poa eragrostis Walter

Poa indica J.Koenig ex Rottler

Poa linkii Kunth

Poa mexicana Link

Poa pilosa L.

Poa plumosa Schrad.

Poa poiretii Roem. & Schult.

Poa punctata L.f.

Poa senegalensis Desv.

Poa tenella Pall.

Poa tenuiflora Steud.

Poa verticillata Cav.

Common Name: Soft Love Grass

Eragrostis pilosa
Flowering plant
Photograph by: Gerrit Davidse
Creative Commons License
Eragrostis pilosa Eragrostis pilosa Eragrostis pilosa Eragrostis pilosa

General Information

Soft love grass is a loosely clump-forming annual grass; the culms can be branched or unbranched, they are erect or ascending to 70cm[
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.
,
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 harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine.

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

Tropical and warm temperate regions of southeast Asia, Australia, Africa and southern Europe.

Habitat

Dambo and floodplain grassland, on river sand banks and alluvium and in black basaltic soil, in mopane woodland on clayey soils and in sandveld; also commonly as a weed of cultivated and disturbed places; at elevations from 10 - 1,700 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

Weed PotentialYes
Edibility Rating *  *
Medicinal Rating *  *
HabitAnnual
Height0.60 m
PollinatorsWind
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details


Succeeds in any good loam or humus-rich soil in a sunny position[
162
Title
Ornamental Grasses.
Publication
 
Author
Grounds. R.
Publisher
Christopher Helm
Year
1989
ISBN
0-7470-1219-9
Description
Cultivation details of many of the grasses and bamboos. Well illustrated.
]. Prefers a light soil[
1
Title
RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
Publication
 
Author
F. Chittendon.
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Year
1951
ISBN
-
Description
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
].
A common weed of cultivated land[
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/
].
Plants are harvested (from the wild?[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
]) on a regular basis in E. Africa for their edible seed[
177
Title
Plants for Human Consumption.
Publication
 
Author
Kunkel. G.
Publisher
Koeltz Scientific Books
Year
1984
ISBN
3874292169
Description
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
].

Edible Uses

Seed - ground into a flour and used as a cereal[
105
Title
Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World.
Publication
 
Author
Tanaka. T. & Nakao S.
Publisher
Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo
Year
1976
ISBN
-
Description
The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
]. It is generally seen as a famine food, but is used regularly in some areas[
177
Title
Plants for Human Consumption.
Publication
 
Author
Kunkel. G.
Publisher
Koeltz Scientific Books
Year
1984
ISBN
3874292169
Description
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
,
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.
]. People in Mauritania in time of famine raid ant-hill granaries to obtain the seed for cooking into cakes[
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 seed contains around 16% protein[
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/
]. It is very small and fiddly to utilize[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].

Medicinal

The plant is said to be an effective cure for contusions[
218
Title
Medicinal Plants of China
Publication
 
Author
Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S.
Publisher
Reference Publications, Inc.
Year
1985
ISBN
0-917256-20-4
Description
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ, only just covering the seed. Germination is usually very quick and free.
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-10-05. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Eragrostis+pilosa>

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