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Megathyrsus maximus

Panicum maximum

Also called Guinea grass

Megathyrsus maximus
Photo: Harry Rose from South West Rocks, Australia, CC BY 2.0

Guinea grass is a large perennial bunch grass from Africa, grown widely in the tropics as forage for livestock. It is vigorous and tolerant of drought and fire, and needs sun and regular grazing or cutting to stay productive.

Family
Poaceae (Grass family)
Grows as
Grass, Perennial
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water deeply during dry spells; established plants tolerate drought well.
Soil
Tolerates a wide range of soils, including poor ones; good drainage is preferred.
Temperature
Warm tropical conditions; frost-sensitive, protect below about 5 °C.
How easy
Easy
Edible
Yes, some parts

About

Megathyrsus maximus, known as Guinea grass and green panic grass, is a large perennial bunch grass that is native to Africa and Yemen. It has been introduced in the tropics around the world. It has previously been called Urochloa maxima and Panicum maximum. It was moved to the genus Megathyrsus in 2003.

Uses

It can be used as a long-term foraging grass if grazed consistently and if fertilized. It is well suited for cut-and-carry, a practice in which grass is harvested and brought to a ruminant animal in an enclosed system. Shade tolerance makes it suited to coexisting with trees in agroforestry. Some varieties have been used successfully for making silage and hay. The leaves contain good levels of protein (6–25% depending on age and nitrogen supply).

Other Panicum plants

Witchgrass · Fall panicgrass · Mexican panicgrass · Proso millet · Little millet · Switchgrass · Panicgrass

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Megathyrsus maximus 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.

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