839 



Bull. No. 726, 1916, p. 3, f. 2 (Seed heads); U.S. Dept. Agric. 

 Bureau of PI. Industry, Inven. Seeds & PL No. 39, 1917, t. 7; 

 Hitchcock, Grasses, U.S. Dept. Agric. BuU. No. 772, 1920, p. 242, 

 f. 147. 



Vernac. names. — -Um-kuana (Natal, If oo^)— Natal Grass , 

 South African Red-top, Australian Red-top, Hawaiian Red-top. 



Widely distributed in Tropical Africa — more especially on the 

 Eastern side, in Madagascar, South Africa, and South Arabia; 



cultivated in the United States. 



A good hay grass, Transvaal (Kew Bull. 1911, p. 159); a 

 valuable hay grass, Rhodesia (Mainwaring, No. 2627, 1919, 

 Herb. Kew); rehshed by Stock (Transvaal Dept. of Agric. 

 No. 3, 1908, Herb. Kew); cures easily and quickly into hay of 

 the greatest value, Florida (Tracy, scq. p. 3); recommended for 

 growing as green food for poultry, New South Wales (Agric. 

 Gaz. N.S. Wales, 1908, p. 122); not a desirable lawn grass and 

 regarded as being of only moderate value for pastures (Tracy, 



A perennial ; but may be grown as an annual ; 3-4 ft. high, 

 very variable in character. Propagated by seed or by division 

 of the roots; when seed is used it is recommended to sow it 

 broadcast^ — and because of the hairiness it is advisable to first 

 moisten and roll in soil or wood ashes to effect an eyen distri- 

 bution — at the rate of about 2-3 lb. per acre for early sowing 

 and 8-10 lb. per acre for late sowing. In Florida it is found to be 

 the best grass for well-drained sandy soils and it is recommended 

 for growing between the trees in Citrus groves; it comes to 

 maturity in about 3 months and cut when the best part of the 

 seed begins to ripen the average j^eld of hay is 2-|-3 tons per 

 acre and sometimes up to 4 tons may be expected ; the best hay 

 is that which is cured in the shortest time and with the least 

 exposure to the weather, it is found to bale attractively and 

 usually fetches the same price on the market as Timothy 

 [Pkleum pratense, Linn — an important hay and pasture plant 



in Britain and in America]; 

 palatable and eaten without 

 said to resist drought well 



;s being very 



The plant is 



Wales 



the bright red or crimson seed heads make it a good decorative 

 plant, for which purpose it is often grown in European gardens. 

 J5e/. — '' Natal Grass {Tricholaena rosea) '' in Forage Plants 



and Their Culture 



York, 1915), Natal Grass 



Hay 



Tracy, U.S. Dept. Agric. Farmers' Bull. No. 726, 1916, pp. 1-16, 



Tricholaena sphaeelata, Bth.; Fl. Trop. Afr, ined. [T. 



rosea, Nees, var. sphacelata^ Benth.]. 



VeTTiac names — Eran Eye (S, Nigeria, Dodd) ; Maifarin Kai 

 (Sokoto, Dalziel). 



Lokoj 



in 



Afr 



