Botanical Name : Pennisetum Purpureum Schumach |
Introduction |
· Elephant Grass, Napier Grass Or Uganda Grass Is A Species Native To The Tropical Grasslands Of Africa. It Has A Very High Productivity, Both As A Forage Grass For Livestock And As A Biofuel Crop. The Name Elephant Grass Derives From It Being A Favorite Food Of Elephants. It Is Most Susceptible To Frost. The Elephant Grass Grows Well At Sea Level And Up To 2000 M And Grows Best In High-Rainfall Areas (In Excess Of 1500 Mm/Year), But Its Deep Root System Allows It To Survive In Drought Times. It Provides Good Hay If Cut At Early Stage. It Is Usually Made Into Silage Of High Quality Without Additives. |
Botanical Description |
· A Robust Perennial With A Vigorous Root System, Sometimes Stoloniferous With A Creeping Rhizome. Culms Usually 180–360 Cm High, Branched Upwards. Leaf-Sheaths Glabrous Or With Tubercle-Based Hairs; Leaf-Blades 20–40 Mm Wide, Margins Thickened And Shiny. Inflorescence A Bristly False Spike Up To 30 Cm Long, Dense, Usually Yellow-Brown In Color, More Rarely Purplish. The Somatic Chromosome Number Is 2n=27, 28, 56. It Crosses Readily With Pennisetum Americium (P. Typhoid’s) To Produce A Rugged Hybrid, Bane Grass |