Gramineae
Sawtooth love grass (South Africa); Wilmann lovegrass (USA); Masai love grass (Kenya).
Chloridoideae; Chlorideae. There are about 350 species of Eragrostis with a cosmopolitan, but mostly subtropical distribution in the world of which 79 are indigenous to southern Africa.
Occurs naturally in South Africa and northwards through East Africa to Sudan. It is very common in various vegetation types, mainly grassland and savanna types throughout its distribution range. It is also introduced into the USA, India and Australia.
A perennial, densely tufted grass up to 1000 mm tall. The leaves are mainly basal and the culms are sturdy and erect. The leaf blades are up to 400 mm long and 3-12 mm wide. The inflorescence is 100-300 mm long, with spikelets 6-16 mm long and 3-10 mm wide, ovate and jagged in outline, strongly flattened. Spikelets disarticulate below the glumes at maturity and fall as entire units.
This is a fairly palatable and readily grazed species, which also makes a good hay. It is an excellent pasture to cultivate in areas prone to drought as it is drought resistant. Because of its high reseeding capabilities, it is also useful in erosion control. Nutritional value declines late in the season, and the grass becomes less palatable as it gets harder. Recovers easily from intense grazing.
Grazing management
Stands should not be grazed until the second summer after seeding. Sow enough to produce a good bulk of the grass so management can be applied according to its needs. In a mixed pasture it may be grazed out.
Dry-matter and green-matter yields
A dry matter of more than 24 000 kg/ha per year under an eight-week cutting interval was obtained by Strickland (1973) at Samford, Queensland. Under a four-week cutting regime the yield was approximately one-half. In Gujarat, India, 3 104 kg green matter per hectare was recorded (Srinivasan, Bonde & Tejwani, 1962). At Himachal Pradesh University, Singh and Katoch (1975) obtained 114.3 kg DM/ha per day compared with 113.0 from S. sphacelata, 64.8 from Heteropogon contortus and 64.7 from Bothriochloa bladhii.
Main deficiencies
It gets stemmy and unpalatable near maturity and its nutritive value drops.
Palatability
It is very palatable. Chemical analysis and digestibility It has about 12 percent crude protein in the dry matter at an early-flowering stage with 30-35 percent crude fibre (Bogdan & Pratt, 1967).
Animal production
E. superba, along with Cenchrus ciliaris, has been the basis of the seed mixtures used for large-scale reseeding in Kitui, Machakos and Baringo in Kenya (Bogdan & Pratt, 1967). It is used in moderately dry areas. Its cool season production was higher than Paspalum spp., pangola grass and Setaria sphacelata cv. Nandi (Strickland, 1973).
Chromosome base number, x = 10.
C4 photosynthetic pathway.
None reported and considered to be non-toxic.
Tolerance to salinity
It has a high tolerance to salinity and alkalinity and seed will germinate well (Ryan, Miyamoto & Stroehlein, 1975).
A subclimax grass. Grows in sandy and stony soils in disturbed places or drainage areas. Also grows in loam and sometimes clay soil, and can be found on termite mounds. Grows well in arid or semi-arid areas.
Altitude range
Sea-level to 2 000 m.
Rainfall requirements
It grows in a rainfall range of 500-875 mm.
Drought tolerance
It has good drought tolerance and is oversown into semiarid land in Kenya.
Soil requirements
Prefers sandy soils but occurs also on clay loams and clays. A medium-textured deep soil neither strongly acid nor strongly alkaline is preferred.
Minimum temperature for growth
It does not grow below -11°C (Humphrey, 1960).
Frost tolerance
It was little affected by frost at Samford, Queensland (Strickland, 1973).
Grows very easily from seed and can be grown in gravely, sandy, loamy or clay soils.
Grows and flowers from early in spring untill late autumn.
None known.
Fast growing.
Seed production and harvesting
Seed can be collected easily from open grassland or at roadsides by stripping the ripe panicles. Mature spikelets, each with numerous florets, detach easily with the caryopses enclosed.
Wilmann lovegrass (Herbarium of Native Plants of South Texas)
Bogdan, A.V. & Pratt, D.J. 1967. Resseding denuded pastoral land in Kenya. Nairobi, Republic of Kenya Min. Agric. Anim. Husb.
Gibbs-Russell, G.E., Watson, L., Koekemoer, M., Smook, L. Barker, N.P., Anderson, H.M., Dallwitz, M.J. 1989. Grasses of southern Africa. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa, No. 58, National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
Humphrey, R.R.1960. Arizona range grasses. Univ. Ariz. Agric. Exp. Sta. Bull. No. 298.
Ryan, J., Miyamoto, S. & Stroehlein, J.L. 1975. Salt and specific ion effects on germination of four grasses. J. Range Management, 28: 61-64.
Singh, L.N. and Katoch, D.C. 1975. Forage yield potential of some grasses. Indian J. Agric. Res., 9: 25-29.
Strickland, R.W. 1973. Dry matter production, digestibility and mineral content of Eragrostis superba Peyr. and E. curvula (Schrad.) Nees. at Samford, southeastern Queensland. Trop. Grasslands, 7:233-241.
Srinivasan, V., Bonde, W.C. & Tejwani, K.G.1962. Studies on grasses and their suitability to stabilize and maintain bunds in the ravine lands of Gujarat. J. Soil Water Conserv. India, 10:72-78.
Van Wyk, E. & Van Oudtshoorn, F. 1999. Guide to grasses of southern Africa. Briza Publications, Arcadia, South Africa.