| DESCRIPTION: A leafy upright tussock grass, 1-2 m tall. Leaves to more than 2.5 cm wide, shiny and brittle. Simple panicle to 26 cm long. USE: Used as a long-term pasture in the open and under trees. Useful in cut-and-carry systems, as hay and as a hedgerow for erosion control. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial. It is primarily a warm season grass , having limited cool season growth. COMMON NAMES: Atra paspalum. FURTHER INF: Native to Brazil and Bolivia and now found from near the equator (southeast Asia) to the subtropics of Australia, USA and South America. In the wild, it generally grows in low places with a high water table, which are subject to waterlogging and periodic flooding during summer. It does not grow in permanently inundated areas. Occurs between about 14ºS in Bolivia and 20ºS in Brazil, to 600 m in altitude with average annual temperatures between 20-23°C. Best growth between 22-27ºC. Found in areas with 1100-2000 mm annual rainfall. Successful on moist, well- or poorly-drained soils ranging from sands to clays, and can tolerate acid, low fertility conditions and light droughts. Responds to improved nitrogen fertility. Yields commonly 10-15 and up to 26 t/ha/yr DM. |