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Brachiaria brizantha

Authority	(Hochst. ex A. Rich) Stapf
Family	Liliopsida:Commelinidae:Cyperales:Gramineae
Synonyms	Brachiaria brizantha var. angustifolia Stent & J.M. Rattray, Panicum brizanthum
Common names	brachiaria de Abisinia, braquiarao, bread grass, brizantao, brizantha, capim braquiaria, capim Marandu, capim ocinde, Ceylon sheep grass, estrella de Africa, Marandu (Pt), pallisade grass, pallisade signal grass, pasto alambe, pasto senal, senal, signal grass, St. Luica grass (En), Ya siknaentontang (Thailand) , zacate senal, zacate signal (Sp)
Editor
Ecocrop code	536

Notes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION A grass with stout erect culms and broadly lanceolate leaves reaching a height of 0.6-1.5 m. USES Used for pasture, hay and silage. Also grown as ornamnetal hedges and for erosion control. KILLING T Will survive frost. GROWING PERIOD Perennial grass, growing from spring to autumn and well into the winter, being green when other tropical grasses are brown and dry. It grows quickly, and 90-150 days from sowing, it can be ready for a first, light grazing. COMMON NAMES Signal grass, Palisade grass, St Lucia grass, Ceylon sheep grass, Upright brachiaria, Bread grass, Estrella de Africa, Pasto alambe, Ya siknaentontang. FURTHER INF Scientific synonym: Panicum brizanthum. Signal grass is native of the humid and sub-humid tropical Africa. Its natural habitat are grassland valleys and open woodlands. In the tropics it found at elevations between sea level and 3000 m. Dry matter yields may be between 7-20 t/ha.
Sources
Grassland Index Skerman P 1990 pp 234-237 [TEMP, KTMP, RAIN, DRA, TEXT, PH, FER, LIG] Rehm S 1991 pp 405 [USE] Duke J 1975 pp 9 [PH, RAIN, TEMP] Duke J 1979 pp 94 Roecklein J 1987 pp 178 [USE, RAIN] Ibrahim K 1987 pp 87 Purseglove J 1972 pp 126 [RAIN, USE] Mannetje L 1992 pp 56-58 [TEXT, PH, FER, DRA, LIG] Tropical forages 2005