What is elephant grass good for?
Elephant grass is a very important forage in the tropics due to its high productivity. It is particularly suited to feed cattle and buffaloes. Elephant grass is mainly used in cut-and-carry systems (zero grazing) and fed in stalls, or made into silage or hay. Native to Africa, elephant grass is a tufted perennial grass that was introduced to Australia as forage for livestock. It is also used as an ornamental and structural landscaping plant.Bamboo and Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum), also known as elephant grass, are both popular crops with various agricultural and commercial applications.Elephant grass or Napier grass is an important crop that provides good fodder for grazing animals and dairy farmers.The antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties of elephant grass make it useful in protecting the skin from damage caused by free radicals, reducing acne and other inflammatory skin conditions, improving skin health and reducing signs of aging.Elephant grass is generally used as forage, as ornamental plant and for erosion control; however, it is edible and is enjoyed as food in some parts of Igbo land, where it has been a traditional relish from prehistoric times. The matrix of the shoot is widely consumed in soups among these Igbo communities.
Can elephant grass grow in the UK?
Miscanthus Giganteus or elephant grass as it is sometimes known is a biomass crop originating from South East Asia. Initially introduced into Europe as an ornamental garden plant, it is now one of the most environmentally sustainable crops grown in the UK. Elephant grass contains somewhere between 4. Most of this grass is cultivated in Indonesia and is mostly utilized in cut-and-carry systems for the feed of dairy and beef cattle.Elephant grass is similar in appearance to sugar cane but has narrower leaves and does not grow to the same height (cane will grow to 6 m). Elephant grass can be spread by wind, moving water and seeds attached to fur, clothing and vehicles. It is also spread by humans moving plants or plant parts.Elephant grass is used for traditional animal feed, pest management, improving soil fertility, protecting arid land from soil erosion, paper pulp production, making handicraft articles such as baskets and for producing bio-fuel.
Why is it called elephant grass?
Named after the largest animal walking the earth, elephant grass once grew so prolifically across Africa’s riverbeds and rainforest margins that African elephants developed a special preference for it. But in recent decades, the grass has grown in popularity with another large land animal – cattle. Elephant grass is a multipurpose plant. The young leaves and shoots are edible by humans and can be cooked to make soups and stews (Burkill, 1985). The culms can be used to make fences, and the whole plant is used for thatch.Elephant grass is a robust, rhizomatous, tufted perennial grass. It has a vigourous root system, developing from the nodes of its creeping stolons. The culms are coarse, perennial, and may be up to 4-7 m in height, branched above. Elephant grass forms dense thick clumps, up to 1 m across.Elephant Grass may have difficulty thriving, and will drop leaves 🍃, without ample sunlight. Place it less than 3 feet from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth. Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Elephant Grass in your home 🏡.
How invasive is elephant grass?
This C4 grass is included in the Global Compendium of Weeds where it is listed as an agricultural and environmental weed as well as an invasive species (Randall, 2012). P. Cenchrus purpureus, synonym Pennisetum purpureum, also known as Napier grass, elephant grass or Uganda grass, is a species of perennial tropical grass native to African grasslands. It has low water and nutrient requirements, and therefore can make use of otherwise uncultivated lands.