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Graminae
Synonyms
E. basiilepis Pilg.
Common names
Cushion love grass (Kenya).
Description
Erect tufted perennial up to 60 cm high, the basal shoots having
hard yellow scales, culms rather wiry (Napper, 1965). There is no basal
foliage, but the stems are densely set with short leaves (Bogdan &
Pratt 1967). It has numerous small purple panicles.
Distribution
Northeast tropical Africa. Plentiful on Yatta Plateau, between
Embu and Kitui, Kenya (Bogdan & Pratt, 1967).
Altitude range
Sea-level to 1 800 m in Kenya (Bogdan & Pratt, 1967).
Rainfall requirements
It grows in a rainfall regime of 375-875 mm.
Palatability
It is well grazed (Bogdan & Pratt, 1967).
Chemical analysis and
digestibility
Of moderate nutritive value only, containing about 8-9 percent
crude protein in the dry matter at the flowering stage (Bogdan & Pratt,
1967).
Natural habitat
Dry sandy places, grassland, semi-desert and abandoned cultivation.
Seed production and harvesting
It seeds well, but the seed is sometimes destroyed by smut.
Seed can be collected by cutting the stems, though it sheds easily when
ripe. The seed is in the form of naked caryopses and threshing and cleaning
are easy (Bogdan & Pratt, 1967).
Animal production
It has never been used for reseeding rangeland, but Bogdan
and Pratt (1967) recommend its trial in mixtures with other grasses on
poor, sandy soils in eastern Kenya.
Further reading
Bogdan & Pratt, 1967.
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