Gramineae
Trachypogon capensis (Thunb.) Trin.
Giant spear grass, Reuse pylgras, greybeard grass (Zimbabwe), arrow grass (Venezuela).
Panicoideae; Andropogonodae, Andropogoneae, Andropogoninae.
There are about 13 species of Trachypogon from tropical America, Madagascar and tropical Africa of which 1 species is indigenous to southern Africa. Trachypogon spicatus occurs in tropical to southern Africa and tropical America. In South Africa it is found in the Fynbos, Savanna and Grassland Biomes.
A densely tufted and rhizomatous, leafy perennial grass with unbranched culms that grow to a height of 300-1,200 mm tall. Culm nodes with a ring of short white hairs. The culms of older plants often have red or purplish shades. The leaf blades are 50-200 mm long and 5 mm wide, usually rolled. The ligule is membranous, splitting into three lobes. The inflorescence is a single open or contracted raceme with velvety awns throughout its length. The awns curve outwards when mature and present an untidy appearance. The spikelets are in pairs, consistently in long-and-short combinations, short-pedicellate, 6-8 mm long, long-pedicellate slightly longer. The pedicels are free of the rachis. The short-pedicellate spikelets are male-only or sterile and are persistent. The stamens are conspicuously yellow or orange. The long-pedicellate spikelets are hermaphrodite. Lemmas of female-fertile florets are entire and awned. The awn is median, apical, geniculate and much longer than the body of the lemma. There are two glumes that are relatively large and more or less equal, and awnless. Trachypogon spicatus is superficially similar to Urelytrum agropyroides and Heteropogon contortus, but these species lack the hairy culm nodes of Trachypogon spicatus.
An unpalatable grass that is only grazed when it is very young. However, it forms a dense covering and protects the soil from erosion in areas with high rainfall. Where it occurs in abundance it is considered to be an indicator of under-utilization.
Chromosome base number, x = 5 or 10.
C4 photosynthetic pathway.
None reported and considered to be non-toxic.
Occurs in the wet, subtropical eastern mountain and Highveld parts of southern Africa as well as along the southern to south-western parts. Altitude range 500-2270 m. Rainfall may be from 600-1,500 mm per annum. Usually grows in undisturbed grassland and bushveld with relatively high rainfall. It is a climax species that increases in under-utilized rangeland.
Usually found in sandy and gravely soils. May also be found near seasonal wetlands.
T. spicatus is not propagated.
Broadly summer-to late summer growing species that flowers from October to May.
None known.
Moderate to slow-growing.
Palatability
It has low palatability (Verboom & Brunt, 1970).
Chemical analysis and digestibility
Dougall and Bogdan (1958) recorded 5.7 percent crude protein, 40.2 percent crude fibre, 9.6 percent ash, 1.8 percent ether extract and 42.7 percent nitrogen-free extract in the dry matter of fresh material in early bloom in Kenya.
Acocks, J.P.H. 1988. Veld types of South Africa (3rd edn.). Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Afr. No 28. Government printer, Pretoria.
Dougall, H.W. & Bogdan, A.V. The chemical composition of grasses of Kenya. E. Afr. 1958-60 For. J., Part 1, 24 (1): 17-23; Part 2, 25 (4): 241-244.
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.
Van Wyk, E. & Van Oudtshoorn, F. 1999. Guide to grasses of southern Africa. Briza Publications, Arcadia, South Africa.
Verboom, W.C. & Brunt, M.A. An ecological survey of Western Province, Zambia, with special reference to the fodder resources, Vol. 2. The grasslands and their development. Tolworth (surrey), U.K. Directorate of Overseas Surveys. Land Resources Divn Land Res. Study No. 8.