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Cenchrus ciliaris
Also called Buffelgrass, African Foxtail Grass, Buffalo Grass, African Foxtail, Blue Buffalo Grass, Foxtail Buffalo Grass, Malopo Blue Buffel Grass
Buffel grass is a drought-tolerant perennial grass from Africa and southern Asia, grown mainly as forage and for erosion control. It is invasive in several warm, dry regions, so check local rules before planting.
Cenchrus ciliaris (buffel-grass or African foxtail grass; syn. Pennisetum ciliare (L.) Link) is a species of grass native to most of Africa, southern Asia (east to India), southern Iran, and the extreme south of Europe (Sicily). Other names by which this grass is known include dhaman grass, anjan grass and koluk katai.
African foxtail grass is native to tropical Africa, the Mediterranean region and the hotter and drier parts of Asia. It is a deep-rooted grass, tolerates drought, and will grow at altitudes of up to 2,000 m (6,600 ft). It is considered a good forage grass in Africa. It prefers light soils with a high phosphorus content. As a key species for pastoralism, Cenchrus ciliaris is projected, in one simulation, to expand its overall range in East Africa under a high-emission scenario (RCP 8.5) in the future.
Pearl millet · Indian sandbur · Kikuyugrass · Southern sandbur · Mat sandbur · Oriental Fountain Grass · Annual Mission Grass · Elephant Grass · Cenchrus riparius · Crimson Fountaingrass · Birdwood grass · Sandbur
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Cenchrus ciliaris 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.
