Eragrostis gummiflua

Eragrostis gummiflua

Quantity:

Common Names

Gomgras (afrikaans)
Gum Grass (english)

Taxonomy

Family POACEAE
Genus Eragrostis
Species gummiflua
SA Plant Number
Basionym Eragrostis gummiflua

Description

Eragrostis gummiflua is a very hardy, evergreen to semi-deciduous, perennial grass with sparse, hard, tough leaves.

It bears attractive, large racemes of pink to purple flowers and seeds on stiff branches from November to May.

Parts of this grass are quite sticky, hence the common name.

Plant in a meadow garden where its attractive seed-heads add texture. It is quite unpalatable to grazers. This hard grass is used to make durable brooms.

As with all grasses, to keep it healthy, it should be cut back once a year and raked to remove the thatch. Plant in sun or semi-shade in well-drained, sandy or gravelly soils. Water well to keep it looking its best.

Size: Flowering stem up to 90cm

Wildlife

Uses

Landscaping:
A lovely addition to a meadow or grassland garden
Traditional:
The hard grass lends itself to making good grass-broom bristles

Distribution

Limpopo, N. West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu Natal, Free State, N. Cape, E. Cape, W. Cape

Habitat:
Bushveld, Damp places, Grassland

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