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Graminae
Common names
Lehmann love grass (United States).
Description
A tufted perennial; culms 60-90 cm high, branched, branches
repeatedly geniculated; leaf-blades narrow, eglandular, 1-3 mm wide with
inrolled margins. Panicle 10-20 cm long, lax and open. It is distinguished
from E. curvula and E. chloromelas in having papery lower leaf-sheaths
with rounded nerves not very closely arranged. There are two varieties
- var. Iehmanniana and var. chaunantha (Pilg.). Strains introduced to the
United States have prostrate stems rooting at the nodes.
Distribution
Native to South Africa, introduced to East Africa and India.
Season of growth
Spring, summer and autumn.
Altitude range
Below 1 700 m in southern California, but best at 1 0001 500
m.
Rainfall requirements
Adapted to semi-arid tropical and subtropical summer rainfall
areas. In California it grows in a rainfall regime of 250-375 mm.
Drought tolerance
It is quite tolerant of drought. Var. chaunantha flourishes
in areas of low rainfall of 300-500 mm (Bor, 1960).
Soil requirements
It prefers light to medium soils of pH 7.0-8.5.
Ability to spread naturally
It volunteers well in semi-desert grassland.
Land preparation for establishment
A well-prepared seed-bed is preferred, but for oversowing,
rangelands are generally disc-harrowed.
Sowing time and rate
Sow in summer to early autumn at 250-500 g/ha.
Number of seeds per kg.
15.5 million.
Response to defoliation
It should not be too closely grazed.
Grazing management
It should become well established before being grazed. Only
half the annual growth should be grazed off, but it can be continuously
grazed for maximum production, though a late summer rest improved the total
available carbohydrates, crude protein and phosphorus contents (Roberts
& Opperman, 1966), and allows the grass to seed.
Response to fire
Warm-season fires may have an adverse effect, but burning four
days after light rain in February, 1969, in Arizona (late winter) had little
adverse effect on the grass (Pace, 1971).
Suitability for hay and
silage
It is cultivated for hay in South Africa.
Frost tolerance
Basal leaves remain green throughout the winter in southern
California and stems stay green after autumn frosts, but temperatures below
zero may kill established plants.
Palatability
It is palatable when green but of low palatability when mature.
Response to photoperiod
It is indifferent to day length for flowering (Evans, Wardlaw
& Williams, 1964), i.e. day neutral.
Natural habitat
In cultivation.
Genetics and reproduction
2n=40, 60 (Fedorov, 1974).
Seed production and harvesting
It is a good seed producer and could be harvested by combine.
Economics
It is an important species in the sweet veld areas of South
Africa and one of the best grasses for reseeding Arizona ranges (Humphrey,
1960a).
Further reading
Humphrey, 1960a.
Value for erosion control
It is successful for reseeding rangeland in the south-western
United States and gives a rapid soil cover.
Tolerance to salinity
It tolerates high pH caused by calcium and magnesium rather
than by sodium (Ryan, Miyamoto & Stroehlein, 1975).
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