African lovegrass is a densely tufted, perennial (long-lived) grass growing from 30 to 120 cm high. The leaves are dark green to blue-green, narrow, and 25 to 35 cm long. The flowering stems rise above the tufted leaves and carry a loose fanlike grey-green flower-head.
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What does African lovegrass look like in Australia?
There are seven types of African lovegrass in Australia. What does it look like? African lovegrass is a perennial grass that grows in clumps up to 1.2 m tall. with rolled edges. African lovegrass has a small, thin structure at the base of the leaf blade.
What are the characteristics of grasses?
Variable, densely tufted, tussock-like, erect or prostrate perennial grass (<1.5 m tall) with fibrous roots (<50 cm deep) that is deciduous in cold areas. Narrow, rough, bright green to blue-green (blushes bronze-red after hard frost) hair-like leaves (3-7mm wide) are rolled inwards, and usually curly at tips.
Is African lovegrass a noxious weed?
Three strategies that are working African lovegrass ( Eragrostis curvula) is one of the major scourges of pastoral agriculture in New South Wales and is a declared noxious weed in most states of Australia.
What is Consol lovegrass and where does it grow?
Consol lovegrass ( Eragrostis curvula cv. Consol) is a non-weed cultivar of African lovegrass. It is grown in pastures on sandy soils. The differences between this cultivar and the weed African lovegrass are subtle. It is difficult to tell them apart. Where is it found? African lovegrass grows throughout NSW, on roadsides and in grazing land.
How do you get rid of love grass?
The primary herbicides used for Lehmann and weeping lovegrass control in the United States are glyphosate and imazapyr. All herbicides listed in table 2 will provide lovegrass control when properly applied. However, these are nonselective herbicides and may also impact nontarget species.
What is the botanical name for African love grass?
Eragrostis curvulaEragrostis curvula / Scientific nameAfrican lovegrass is a hardy, drought-tolerant grass that grows in clumps.
What is love grass good for?
Purple love grass is an attractive cultivated ornamental grass that works well as a ground cover, in borders, as an edging along pathways, as a textural accent and as an erosion control plant in sandy soils.
How did African love grass get to Australia?
Native to southern Africa, African lovegrass is a green, densely tufted grass. It was probably first introduced to Australia as a contaminant of pasture seed. African lovegrass cultivars have also been used as soil stabilisers to control erosion.
How does African lovegrass spread?
African lovegrass seeds germinate in autumn or spring, given adequate moisture. Seeds can be spread short distances by wind and also by animals, machinery, vehicles and in hay. Seeds are readily spread during road construction in contaminated soils.
What animals eat African lovegrass?
Especially during dry periods, African lovegrass is readily consumed by cattle and they do well on it in conjunction with dry legume and native grasses.
Why is it called love grass?
Eragrostis is commonly known as lovegrass or canegrass. The name of the genus is derived from the Greek words ἔρως (eros), meaning "love", and ἄγρωστις (agrostis), meaning "grass". Lovegrass is commonly used as livestock fodder.
Does love grass grow in shade?
Enter shade loving ornamental grass. Today's garden centers have a wide variety of low growing or tall, statuesque specimens that thrive in low light. Selecting a variety that suits your shade garden specifications has never been easier.
Where is love grass found?
Sand lovegrass is a native, warm-season, short-lived, perennial, bunch grass found on sandy soil sites in the central and southern plains states. The erect culms are 80 to 120 cm tall, solid or hollow below. The leaf blades are flat to involute or rolled in at the margins, with a prominent midrib.
Do cows eat love grass?
If a farmer's not careful, it can quickly take over a paddock, making the land all but useless: Cattle can't survive when they have nothing but lovegrass to eat. Unless it's fertilized, burned and watered, lovegrass has little nutritional value. The problems with African lovegrass extend beyond its failure as forage.
How can you tell grass Is Love?
African lovegrass is a densely tufted, perennial species that can grow up to 1.2 m in height. The plant is generally erect, but stems may bend at the lower nodes—the whole plant often adopts a weeping habit. The narrow leaf blades are of varying lengths and are coloured bright green to blue-green.
Do goats eat love grass?
Goats love sericea lespedeza and it is actually one of the best forages for them to eat. Enough goats in a pasture means they can reduce the amount of the weeds so other grasses can compete and replace it over time and it is not just weeds on the menu, they also dine on brush and even trees.
How do you use Flupropanate?
Timing: Ideally, apply GP Flupropanate during the vegetative stage of growth of Serrated tussock to allow sufficient time for herbicide to take effect prior to flowering. This may be at least 3 months before flowering, depending on rainfall. Spot Application: Apply all year round.
What is Parramatta grass?
Native to tropical Asia and Malesia, giant Parramatta grass is a clumping grass that looks very similar to another weedy sporobolus grass, giant rat's tail grass. It reduces pasture productivity and causes significant degradation of natural areas.
What is Sahara Lovegrass?
Sahara Lovegrass Grasses are some of the toughest plants on earth, and lovegrass is no exception. This plant is widespread in the Sahara desert. It grows in tough clusters and produces small white flowers with edible seeds.
How do you control Chilean Needle Grass?
Most herbicides used to control Chilean needle grass contain either glyphosate or flupropanate. Pasture species have variable tolerance to these herbicides....Glyphosate herbicidesin carefully targeted spot treatments.for larger areas such as boom spraying in autumn before direct drilling or aerial seeding.More items...
How to identify African lovegrass
African lovegrass is a densely tufted, perennial (long-lived) grass growing from 30 to 120 cm high. The leaves are dark green to blue-green, narrow, and 25 to 35 cm long. The flowering stems rise above the tufted leaves and carry a loose fanlike grey-green flower-head. Seeds germinate in spring and autumn.
African lovegrass in Tasmania
The distribution of African lovegrass in Tasmania is limited, populations have been recorded along the Huon River at Franklin and near the Hobart airport.
What you need to do
If you locate African lovegrass anywhere in Tasmania, or if you find a plant that you think could be African lovegrass, immediately contact Biosecurity Tasmania on 03 6165 3777 to report this weed.
Herbicides for African Lovegrass Control
To the extent permitted by law, the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (including its employees and consultants) excludes all liability to any person for any consequences, including but not limited to all losses, damages, costs, expenses and any other compensation, arising directly or indirectly from using information or material (in part or in whole) contained on this website..
What does African love grass look like?
African lovegrass looks like other perennial pasture tussock grasses. It is difficult to tell native and introduced Eragrostis species from each other. Other desirable tussock grasses such as Poa tussock ( Poa labillardieri) also look similar.
How tall does African Lovegrass grow?
African lovegrass is a perennial grass that grows in clumps up to 1.2 m tall.
How to stop African lovegrass seeding?
Heavy grazing can help break up old unpalatable material. Grazing can stop African lovegrass seeding, but should not be the main control strategy.
How long does it take for flupropanate to kill African lovegrass?
Flupropanate gives the best control of African lovegrass. It can take three months to have a noticeable effect and up to 18 months to kill the plant. Avoid spraying in winter. Observe grazing withholding periods.
How to control African love grass?
On arable land establishing a new pasture can be an effective way to control African lovegrass. Consult an agronomist for variety recommendations for your soil type and area. To sow a new pasture into an infested paddock:
Why is African love grass degraded?
African lovegrass takes over pastures and disturbed areas. It degrades pastures because it’s not very nutritious for livestock. There are seven types of African lovegrass in Australia.
Where is African Lovegrass native to?
African lovegrass is native to southern Africa. It was introduced in Argentina and the United States it a forage plant. It was accidentally introduced into Australia before 1900. It has since been deliberately introduced for experiments.
What is the best way to protect against African love grass?
The NSW Department of Primary Industries advises that healthy pastures are the best long-term defence against African lovegrass. Thin, bare patches and pastures with less than 70% ground cover are at more risk of invasion. The strategy adopted at Coolringdon is to minimise the opportunity for lovegrass to take hold.
Why is tussock grass unseen?
It can go unseen at first because it looks like other tussock grasses until seed is set, but can easily spread to dominate the pasture.
What is the key to grazing at Lana?
The key at Lana is that carefully managed rotational grazing using a ‘leader and follower’ system (in which cattle are rotated followed soon after by sheep) ensures that the lovegrass is eaten down to a minimum, is suppressed and does not take over the pasture.
Why are native pastures separated?
Native pastures are separated so that they can be de-stocked when necessary to maintain ground cover.
Can African love grass be beaten?
So, can African lovegrass actually be beaten? Reflecting on the above examples, an answer to that question is: maybe, but if not, at least it is possible to learn how to live with it. It might be a scourge and practically impossible to eliminate, but careful management tailored to the production system and landscape can minimise or avoid the problems that African lovegrass causes. What might work for you?
Can love grass go unseen?
There are substantial areas of rocky ridges and hilltops on Coolringdon, many with original forest or woodland cover, where lovegrass can go unseen until it is too late to spray to prevent seed sources from developing. Together with sources on other farmland and road reserves in the area, this means that it is not practical to totally eliminate incursions.
Is African love grass native to Lana?
African lovegrass is prevalent at Lana, but isn’t found to be the problem it is at Coolringdon and elsewhere. Indeed, on this property lovegrass has an advantage over the other (mainly native) pasture species because it can produce some fibre even in the driest of dry spells. Photo: Lana winter landscape, 2011.
What is Purple Love Grass?
Eragrostis purple love grass is a North American native bunchgrass that forms a neat, tight clump. It spreads by means of underground rhizomes and also from the abundant seeds that drop to the ground. Cattle will graze on purple love grass until the flowers bloom, but it is usually considered a weed when it is found in pastures.
What color is the grass in the Southwestern landscape?
It looks great in Southwestern landscapes and in combination with gray foliage plants. The fine-textured grass is green in spring and summer, and becomes covered with a cloud of fine purple plumage containing tightly packed seeds.
What color do the leaves of a sage plant turn?
The leaves turn purple and the flowers fade to white in the fall. The plumage eventually breaks away from the plant and rolls around like tumbleweed. The dried plumage can also be used as an accent in everlasting arrangements.
What type of soil does love grass need?
Growing Requirements for Love Grass. This ornamental love grass needs an exceptionally well -drained, preferably sandy soil. It prefers full sun but will also grow in partial shade as well.
Is purple love grass easy to grow?
And that’s it! Eragrostis purple love grass is easy to grow, easy to care for and makes an attractive addition to nearly any landscape.
Why Is It Weedy?
- Long-lived, fast growing and maturing. Produces massive numbers of highly viable, well-dispersed seeds that germinate spring and autumn. Tolerates fire, disturbance, hot temperatures to hard frost, poor and acidic soils, and while intolerant of wet soil, grows rapidly through droughts.
How Does It Spread?
- Seeds are spread in wind, and on vehicles, stock and people. Reseeds prolifically after fire, spraying or mechanical disturbance.
What Damage Does It do?
- Rapidly invades bare and disturbed sites and forms dense stands that prevent the establishment of native species.
Which Habitats Is It Likely to Invade?
- Steep, dry sites, short and tall tussockland, coastal areas, riverbeds, offshore and inshore islands, cliffs, and herbfields, potentially throughout New Zealand.
What Can I Do to Get Rid of It?
- 1. Dig out isolated plants (all year round). Dispose of at refuse transfer station or burn. 2. Spray (spring-summer): glyphosate (15ml/L + penetrant, non-selective) or 520g/L haloxyfop-P-methyl (150ml/10L, selective).
What Can I Do to Stop It Coming back?
- Difficult to control, repeat treatments every 3 months needed. Minimise disturbance, exclude stock. Densely plant with shade-forming species where appropriate.