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Bothriochloa bladhii

Authority (Retz) S.T. Blake Family Liliopsida:Commelinidae:Cyperales:Gramineae Synonyms Bothriochloa glabra (Roxb.) A. Camus, Dichanthium bladhii (Retz) Clayton Common names blue grass Editor Ecocrop code 530

Notes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: An erect to ascending branched bunch grass with foliage up to 40-60 cm and culms largely unbranched, 1-1.5 m high at maturity. Leaf blades glabrous or hairy, 20-30 (rarely -50) cm long and 5-7 (rarely -10) mm wide, linear-lanceolate. USES: It is a palatable grass used for pasture and hay, withstanding heavy grassing. It can also be used for erosion control. KILLING T: Survive seasonal frosts. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial, growing in the summer. COMMON NAMES: Australian bluestem, Forest blue grass, Lautoka grass. FURTHER INF: Scientific synonyms: B. intermedia, Andropogon intermedius. It occurs in savannas, open forest and grasslands, often on alluviums, but also in 'vleis', Grows on soils with textures from sandy loam to clays and hard-setting clay loams, with pH from 5.5-8.4. Grows on both fertile and infertile soils, provided exchangeable aluminium levels are fairly low. It is drought hardy, fire tolerant and can stand temporary waterlogging and flooding, but not tolerant of permanently wet conditions.
Sources
Grassland Index Roecklein J 1987 pp 138 [USE] Duke J 1979 pp 94 [PH, RAIN, TEMP] Skerman P 1990 pp 217-221 [TEXT, LIG, KTMP, RAIN, DRA, FER] Tropical forages 2005