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Chrysopogon nigritanus

Chrysopogon nigritanus, also called black vetivergrass (synonym Vetiveria nigritana), is a tall, deep-rooted perennial grass from tropical Africa. It is grown mainly to hold soil and protect crops, and it tolerates drought, poor soil and even full submergence.

Family
Poaceae (Grass family)
Grows as
Grass, Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Tolerates drought well; water during prolonged dry spells until established.
Soil
Tolerates infertile soils; well-drained to heavy soils are fine.
Temperature
Tropical to warm conditions; cold limit not well documented.
How easy
Easy
Safety
Not known to be toxic
Native range
Trop. & S. Africa

About

Chrysopogon nigritanus, more widely known by the taxonomic synonym Vetiveria nigritana, or the common name black vetivergrass, is a perennial grass species of the family Poaceae and therefore is also a monocotyledon. More specifically, Vetiveria nigritana is a very thick and tall type of grass that is deeply rooted within the ground and is usually used to protect crops and deter soil erosion. Vetiveria nigritana is also a native species to Africa and is most commonly seen in Nigeria, Northern Africa, Eastern Africa and tropical parts of Southern Africa. In addition, the plant, like other vetiver grasses, has been used in these regions due to its extreme drought tolerance, ability to grow in infertile soil and the fact that it can live under complete submergence. In fact, Vetiveria nigritana can thrive in a very diverse range of environmental and climatic conditions.

Other Chrysopogon plants

Red false beardgrass · Khuskhus Vetiver

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Chrysopogon nigritanus 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.

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