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Useful Tropical Plants

Panicum repens

L.

Poaceae

+ Synonyms

Panicum arenarium Brot.

Panicum chromatostigma Pilg.

Panicum convolutum P.Beauv. ex Spreng.

Panicum grossarium Forssk.

Panicum ischaemoides Retz.

Panicum kiensieleense Vanderyst

Panicum kinshasaense Vanderyst

Panicum leiogonum Delile

Panicum littorale C.Mohr ex Vasey

Panicum nyanzense K.Schum.

Panicum pauciflorum Bory ex Nees

Panicum polyphyllum Peter

Panicum polystachion Ucria

Panicum tuberosum Llanos

Common Name: Torpedo Grass

Panicum repens
Showing how the plant spreads by means of underground rhizomes
Photograph by: Forest and Kim Starr
Creative Commons License
Panicum repens Panicum repens Panicum repens

General Information

Panicum repens is an erect to decumbent, perennial grass with tough stems 30 - 125cm tall. Spreading aggressively from a rhizomatous rootstock, the plant can form extensive, dominant swards[
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.
,
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
,
1093
Title
Invasive Species Compendium
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cabi.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
]
The plant is used in soil stabilization projects[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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.

Range

Widely spread in the Old World subtropics and tropics from southern Europe, through Africa and Asia to southeast China, the Philippines and Indonesia

Habitat

A plant of generally wet places, such as lake shores, edges of dams, and seasonal and permanent swamps, brackish shorelines, also commonly found as a weed of perennial plantation crops; at elevations from sea level to 2,000 metres[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
,
1093
Title
Invasive Species Compendium
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cabi.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
].

Properties

Weed PotentialYes
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitPerennial
Height0.60 m
Growth RateFast
PollinatorsWind
Cultivation StatusCultivated

Cultivation Details

Panicum repens is a plant of the tropics and subtropics, extending as far north as southern Europe. It can be found at elevations up to 2,000 metres in the tropics. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 - 26°c, but can tolerate 13 - 35°c[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
]. It is not very cold tolerant and can be killed by persistent frost[
1093
Title
Invasive Species Compendium
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cabi.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 800 - 1,800mm, but tolerates 550 - 4,300mm[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
].
Prefers a sunny position, tolerating light shade[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
]. Prefers a snady soil, tolerating heavy soils that are moist, and generally succeeding in most moist to wet soils of moderate fertility[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
,
1093
Title
Invasive Species Compendium
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cabi.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
]. Prefers a pH in the range 4.5 - 6.2, tolerating 4 - 7.7[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
]. The plant is drought tolerant when growing in soils with a relatively high water table, and can also survive several days of standing water[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
].
A plant that can spread widely by means of its rhizomatous rootstock, Panicum repens has been introduced as a fodder crop in many parts of the tropics and subtropics. In most instances it has not proved to be invasive, but in some areas it has become a serious weed[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
]. It has proved to be a particularly difficult to control in southeastern N. America - it is listed as a prohibited noxious weed in Arizona and as a noxious weed in Alabama, Hawaii and Texas. In Florida it is designated an invasive exotic[
1093
Title
Invasive Species Compendium
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cabi.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
].
The plant is resistant to fire, the rhizomes surviving and quickly sending up new growth[
1093
Title
Invasive Species Compendium
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cabi.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

With its aggressively spreading rhizomes that can grow for several metres, this is a useful species for binding coastal sands, lake shores and 20 - 30° steep pond slopes[
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
]. It is a useful species for reclaiming saline soils[
1093
Title
Invasive Species Compendium
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cabi.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - surface sow, or only just cover the seed, in a sunny position and keep the soil mix moist. Fresh seed may require a period of dormancy before it will germinate.
Division. The rhizome produces axillarly buds along its length. Most of these remain dormant unless the rhizome is fragmented. Small lengths of rhizome 5cm long will usually have one or more buds and these will soon produce new growth and quickly develop into a new plant[
1093
Title
Invasive Species Compendium
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cabi.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
].
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-29. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Panicum+repens>

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