Chrysopogon aciculatus (Retz.) Trin.
Synonyms
Andropogon aciculatus, A. javanicus,
A. subulatus,
Centrophorum chinensis,
Chrysopogon acicularis, C. subulatus,
C. aciculatus var longifolius,
Holcus aciculatus,
Raphis aciculatus. R. javanica, R.
trivialis, R. zizanioides var aciculatus.
Common Names
love
grass, kemuncup
Origin
Tropical
Asia
Distribution
Tropical and subtropical regions
Description
A
vigorous creeping grass with stout, tough rhizomes, the culms ascending to 45
cm. Inflorescence a small panicle, 7.5-10 cm long, with numerous slender
branches. Spikelets narrow. Awn bristly, short and fine. The branches at first
ascend almost vertically, spread obliquely at flowering and then bend upward
again at fruiting. Each branch has three spikelets at its tip, one sessile and
two pedicelled.
Drought tolerance
fairly
drought tolerant.
Soil requirements
favours
sandy acidic loams with pH 5.1-6.1.
Economics
An
extremely common grass in village pasture in the plains of Asia because the
prostrate, creeping stems resist overgrazing and trampling.
It
used to be used as a cover for coconut plantations in the Philippines, and in
Guam the straw was used for making hats and mats.
Its
creeping rhizome and its capacity to resist hard grazing makes it useful for
stabilizing embankments and similar sites.
Useful
for rough lawns, forming a dense, hard-wearing turf, but a troublesome weed
when uncontrolled because of the sharp-pointed seeds.
The
seeds work through clothing and cause irritating sores.
Grazing
animals suffer severely from the ripe fruits becoming attached to their hair by
the sharp basal callus. By this means the fruit works its way into the flesh
and causes extensive ulceration. Dogs frequently develop abscesses between the
toes from the same cause, and germinating seeds of this grass can sometimes be
pressed out of large bags of pus in the dog's flesh
A
serious pest in north Queensland. It is
listed in USDA’s Federal Noxious Weed List 2012.
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