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River Bushman Grass

Stipagrostis namaquensis

River Bushman Grass
Photo: Heering, W. (Wilhelm), 1876-1916; Grimme, C. (Clemens), No restrictions

River bushman grass is a perennial, tussock-forming grass from arid southern Africa, especially the Nama Karoo. It is a hardy native that suits dry, sunny, free-draining sites with minimal water.

Family
Poaceae (Grass family)
Grows as
Grass, Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water sparingly and let the soil dry out between waterings; it tolerates drought well once established.
Soil
Sandy or gravelly, free-draining soil; poor soils are fine.
Temperature
Tolerates hot, arid conditions; frost hardiness is limited, so protect from hard freezes.
How easy
Easy
Native range
S. Africa
Climate
desert or dry shrubland

About

Stipagrostis namaquensis (river bushman grass; Afrikaans: Steekkweek, "stinging weed") is a species of grass native to Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, and the Cape Provinces and Free State of South Africa, especially in the Nama Karoo. It is listed as "safe" (LC) on the SANBI Red List.

Stipagrostis namaquensis is a perennial loose tussock with extended rhizomes. The lower sheathes are fuzzy, and the stems are kneaded or upright at 10–20 cm long. The leaf sheaths can be bare or fuzzy, but the leaves stick up 6–10 cm long and measure 1–2 mm wide. The flower is an open or lance-shaped plume if 10–15 cm, and the spines are 10–15 mm long.

Other Stipagrostis plants

Cape Bushman Grass · Stipagrostis hirtigluma · Short Bushman Grass · Namib Dune Bushman Grass · Silky Bushman Grass · Bushman Grasses

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Stipagrostis namaquensis 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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