Pennisetum clandestinum
Encyclopedia
The tropical grass
species Pennisetum clandestinum is known by several common names, most often kikuyu grass, as it is native to the region of East Africa
that is home to the Kĩkũyũ tribe
. Because of its rapid growth and aggressive nature, it is categorised as a noxious weed in some regions. However, it is also a popular garden lawn
species in Australia and South Africa because it is cheap and drought-tolerant. In addition it is useful as pasture for livestock grazing. The flowering culms are very short and "hidden" amongst the leaves (see photo), giving this species is specific epithet (clandestinum).
Pennisetum clandestinum is a rhizomatous plant, in the Poaceae
(grass) family, that has matted roots and a grass-like or herbaceous habit. The leaves are green, flattened or upwardly folded along the midrib, 10-150 millimetres long, and 1-5 mm wide. The apex of the leaf blade is obtuse. It occurs in sandy soil and reaches a height of between 70 to 150 millimetres. The species favours moist areas and frequently becomes naturalised from introduction as a cultivated alien. Rooted nodes send up bunches of grass blades. It is native to the low-elevation tropics of Kenya
and environs, where it grows best in humid heat, such as the wet coastal areas.
The description of this species was published by Emilio Chiovenda
in 1903, and acknowledges an earlier, invalid, description made by C. F. Hochstetter
.
It has been introduced across Africa, Asia, Australia, the Americas, and the Pacific, where it is subject to eradication through management practices. The ease of cultivation, and the thickly matting habit, have made this species desirable for use as a lawn
. The aggressive colonisation of natural habitat has resulted in this grass becoming naturalised in regions such Southwest Australia
. It has high invasive potential due to its elongate rhizome
s and stolon
s, with which it penetrates the ground, rapidly forming dense mats, and suppressing other plant species. It grows from a thick network of rhizomatous roots and sends out stolons which extend along the ground.
It can climb over other plant life, shading it out and producing herbicidal toxins that kill competing plants. It prevents new sprouts of other species from growing, may kill small trees and can choke ponds and waterways. It is resistant to mowing and grazing due to its strong network of roots, which easily send up new shoots. It springs up in turfs and lawns, and can damage buildings by growing in the gaps between stones and tiles. The plant is easily introduced to new areas on plowing and digging machinery, which may transfer bits of the rhizome in soil clumps. While the grass spreads well via vegetative reproduction from pieces of rhizome, it is also dispersed via seed. Rhizomes that have reached very hard to reach places will continue to grow as separate plants if they are snapped off during the attempted removal process.
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
species Pennisetum clandestinum is known by several common names, most often kikuyu grass, as it is native to the region of East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
that is home to the Kĩkũyũ tribe
Kikuyu
The Kikuyu are Kenya's most populous ethnic group. 'Kikuyu' is the Swahili form of the proper name and pronunciation of Gĩkũyũ although they refer to themselves as the Agĩkũyũ people.There are about 5,300,000 Kikuyu people in Kenya The Kikuyu are Kenya's most populous ethnic group. 'Kikuyu' is the...
. Because of its rapid growth and aggressive nature, it is categorised as a noxious weed in some regions. However, it is also a popular garden lawn
Lawn
A lawn is an area of aesthetic and recreational land planted with grasses or other durable plants, which usually are maintained at a low and consistent height. Low ornamental meadows in natural landscaping styles are a contemporary option of a lawn...
species in Australia and South Africa because it is cheap and drought-tolerant. In addition it is useful as pasture for livestock grazing. The flowering culms are very short and "hidden" amongst the leaves (see photo), giving this species is specific epithet (clandestinum).
Pennisetum clandestinum is a rhizomatous plant, in the Poaceae
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
(grass) family, that has matted roots and a grass-like or herbaceous habit. The leaves are green, flattened or upwardly folded along the midrib, 10-150 millimetres long, and 1-5 mm wide. The apex of the leaf blade is obtuse. It occurs in sandy soil and reaches a height of between 70 to 150 millimetres. The species favours moist areas and frequently becomes naturalised from introduction as a cultivated alien. Rooted nodes send up bunches of grass blades. It is native to the low-elevation tropics of Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and environs, where it grows best in humid heat, such as the wet coastal areas.
The description of this species was published by Emilio Chiovenda
Emilio Chiovenda
Emilio Chiovenda was an Italian botanist.He collected in Italy, Eritrea and Ethiopia, especially the he Ruwenzori Mountains, from 1893 to 1909....
in 1903, and acknowledges an earlier, invalid, description made by C. F. Hochstetter
Christian Ferdinand Friedrich Hochstetter
Christian Ferdinand Friedrich Hochstetter was a German botanist and Protestant minister who was a native of Stuttgart. He was the father of geologist Ferdinand Hochstetter ....
.
It has been introduced across Africa, Asia, Australia, the Americas, and the Pacific, where it is subject to eradication through management practices. The ease of cultivation, and the thickly matting habit, have made this species desirable for use as a lawn
Lawn
A lawn is an area of aesthetic and recreational land planted with grasses or other durable plants, which usually are maintained at a low and consistent height. Low ornamental meadows in natural landscaping styles are a contemporary option of a lawn...
. The aggressive colonisation of natural habitat has resulted in this grass becoming naturalised in regions such Southwest Australia
Southwest Australia
Southwest Australia is a biodiversity hotspot that includes the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregions of Western Australia. The region has a wet-winter, dry-summer Mediterranean climate, one of five such regions in the world...
. It has high invasive potential due to its elongate rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
s and stolon
Stolon
In biology, stolons are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external skeletons.-In botany:...
s, with which it penetrates the ground, rapidly forming dense mats, and suppressing other plant species. It grows from a thick network of rhizomatous roots and sends out stolons which extend along the ground.
It can climb over other plant life, shading it out and producing herbicidal toxins that kill competing plants. It prevents new sprouts of other species from growing, may kill small trees and can choke ponds and waterways. It is resistant to mowing and grazing due to its strong network of roots, which easily send up new shoots. It springs up in turfs and lawns, and can damage buildings by growing in the gaps between stones and tiles. The plant is easily introduced to new areas on plowing and digging machinery, which may transfer bits of the rhizome in soil clumps. While the grass spreads well via vegetative reproduction from pieces of rhizome, it is also dispersed via seed. Rhizomes that have reached very hard to reach places will continue to grow as separate plants if they are snapped off during the attempted removal process.