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Acroceras macrum
Also called Nyl Grass
Nile grass is a perennial grass from tropical Africa that spreads by rhizomes and is grown mainly as pasture, silage and hay for livestock. It needs moist to wet conditions and does poorly in drought.
Acroceras macrum (Nile grass, Nyl grass) is a species of perennial grass. The whole plant grows to 20–70 centimetres (8–27+1⁄2 in) tall. The roots are extended rhizomes and the bright green, lanceolate leaves are typically 8–20 cm long. it produces spiked inflorescences 2–8 cm long. It produces seeds but is usually propagated using cuttings of the rhizomes.
The species is native to Africa grows well in flooded, moist, and humid conditions and does not do well in periods of drought. Thus, it is often found on streamsides, pond margins, and in swampy places; it prefers acidic soils. It is susceptible to leaf spot caused by Phyllosticta and smut caused by Ustilago syntherismae. It has been studied in breeding programs and it has been introduced to Australia and South America for cultivation. It is grown extensively as pasture, silage, and hay. It is palatable and nutritious for animal feed.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Acroceras macrum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
