Operation Wildflower
  • Home
  • Albums
  • Links
    • Botanical Gardens
    • OWF Sites
    • Public Parks, Gardens and Reserves
    • Reference Sites
    • Private Parks, Gardens and Reserves
  • Information
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Articles
    • Plant Records
      • Aloes
      • Bulbs
      • Climbers
      • Cycads
      • Euphorbias
      • Ferns
      • Grasses
      • Herbs
      • Orchids
      • Parasites
      • Shrubs
      • Succulents
      • Trees
    • Sources of Information
    • Disclaimer
    • Subject Index
Home Home » TYPES » Grasses » Imperata cylindrica
Back to Category Overview
Total images in all categories: 11,506
Total number of hits on all images: 6,491,945

Imperata cylindrica

Imperata cylindrica
Start View full size
[Please activate JavaScript in order to see the slideshow]
Previous Previous
Image 42 of 79  
Next Next
Image 44 of 79  
  • Grass species 6
  • Grass species 7
  • Grass species 9
  • Harpochloa falx
  • Harpochloa falx or eyelash grass
  • Heteropogon contortus
  • Heteropogon contortus forming tangles
  • Heteropogon contortus, spear grass
  • Imperata cylindrica
  • Melinis nerviglumis
  • Melinis nerviglumis culms
  • Melinis nerviglumis early stage
  • Melinis nerviglumis fruits departing
  • Melinis nerviglumis purple flowers
  • Melinis nerviglumis white with age
  • Melinis repens
  • Melinis repens

Image information

Description

This looks like Imperata cylindrica, cottonwool grass or in Afrikaans, donsgras (down grass). I. cylindrica is a perennial growing strong, spreading rhizomes. It does not branch and grows to 1,2 m, typically in poorly drained soils. There is only this one species of Imperata in South Africa.

The distribution in South Africa is widespread, particularly in the northeastern parts of the country in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the eastern Free State, while it exists in nature to some extent in all nine South African provinces. The grass also occurs throughout Swaziland and Lesotho and further to the north in Africa. In Mozambique it is used as thatching.

The habitat is moist places and streambanks or vleis where pure stands of it may occur. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Van Wyk and Malan, 1997; Van Oudtshoorn, et al, 1991; http://redlist.sanbi.org).

Hits
1052
Photographer
Mercia Komen
Author
Ivan Latti
 
Back to Category Overview
Powered by JoomGallery