There has been considerable confusion in the past between this species and Tripsacum andersonii J.R.Gray. The information detailed below probably refers more to Tripsacum andersonii, but possibly also applies to this species[].

Common Name:

General Information

Tripsacum laxum is a robust, evergreen, perennial grass with erect culms that can be 3 - 5 metres tall and 5 - 10mm in diameter.
There is some doubt over the identity of this plant, but it is possibly widely cultivated throughout the tropics as a cut fodder, as a hedge, soil conditioner and for erosion control.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Colombia; C. America - Guatemala, north to Mexico; Caribbean - Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico.

Habitat

Not known

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	3.00 m
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Cultivated

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 2,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 30°c, but can tolerate 12 - 35°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,500 - 2,000mm, but tolerates 1,000 - 3,000mm[].
Grows best in full sun, but plants can maintain good growth with 50% shade[, ]. Prefers a fertile, well-drained soil, but can be grown in a range of conditions including very acid coastal sands, peats and acid sulphate soils[, ]. Prefers a pH in the range 4 - 4.5, tolerating 2.7 - 5[]. The plant is adapted to inundated and marshy conditions; it has a remarkable tolerance to shallow water tables, but poor tolerance to soil moisture stress[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is used to form a stout hedgerow (living fence) or for contour strips with or without companion legume on hill land, especially that growing cassava (Manihot esculenta)[].
Planted as a break to reduce insect pests in run-down tea plantation land in Sri Lanka, and to combat bacterial wilt of potatoes in Burundi[].
Used for soil erosion control, mulching and as a soil conditioner in drained swamps in Malaysia[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - fertile seeds are seldom, if ever, produced outside the plant's native range[, ].
Division of the rhizomes.
The plant can be established by planting stem cuttings or rooted culms at the beginning of the rainy season, either in holes or in a plough furrow, 50 - 65cm apart in rows 1 metre wide[].

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