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Graminae
Description
Perennial with submerged or floating glabrous culms. Racemes
rarely seen, two to six on a short axis, or solitary 15-22 cm long; sessile
spikelets up to 10 mm long, lower glume of both spikelets with a winged
tail 5-30 mm long, rarely shorter (Napper, 1965). It usually grows in water
up to 1 m deep at the margins of water holes, but is sometimes a floating
grass; it then develops large numbers of roots and rootless from the nodes
of the spongy stem (Bor, 1960).
Distribution
Throughout tropical Africa and Southeast Asia.
Altitude range
800-1 250 m.
Toxicity
In Zambia, scouring occurs when cattle move from the fibrous
forest grazing to the rich plains grasses consisting of Echinochloa pyramidalis,
E. scabra, Acroceras macrum, Hemarthria altissima, Leersia hexandra and
Vossia cuspidata, and it may be three to four months before they regain
condition (Verboom & Brunt, 1970).
Natural habitat
Rooting on river banks and lake shores, and growing out over
the water; it forms dense mats.
Economics
Vossia cuspidata is the characteristic grass of the sump areas
of the African flood plains which become more deeply flooded, and where
water lies later into the dry season. This species forms dense, semi-floating
beds, but it may not flower unless sufficient depth and duration of flooding
prevails. Established Vossia stands persist for an indefinite period under
less than optimal conditions. The foliage remains green long after the
rains are over and the mat may not get burnt every year. It provides a
favourite pasture for the heavier herbivorous animals which trample down
the dense growth. Fresh shoots subsequently grow up from ground level and
these form an excellent dry-season pasture. Vossia fringes the open water
of deep pools, and when these dry up the exposed bare mud is colonized
during the dry season by annual rosette herbs (Vesey-Fitzgerald, 1963).
Animal production
No quantitative figures have been cited.
Further reading
Vesey-Fitzgerald, 1963.
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