Acroceras macrum
Encyclopedia
Acroceras macrum is a species
of perennial grass
native to Africa
, which is often cultivated extensively as pasture
, silage
, and hay
. It is palatable and nutritious for animal feed. It has been studied in breeding programs and it has been introduced to Australia and South America for cultivation.
Wild Nile grass grows well in flooded, moist, and humid conditions and does not do well in periods of drought. It prefers acidic soils. It produces seeds but is usually propagated using cuttings of the rhizome
s.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of perennial grass
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
native to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, which is often cultivated extensively as pasture
Pasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
, silage
Silage
Silage is fermented, high-moisture fodder that can be fed to ruminants or used as a biofuel feedstock for anaerobic digesters. It is fermented and stored in a process called ensiling or silaging, and is usually made from grass crops, including corn , sorghum or other cereals, using the entire...
, and hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
. It is palatable and nutritious for animal feed. It has been studied in breeding programs and it has been introduced to Australia and South America for cultivation.
Wild Nile grass grows well in flooded, moist, and humid conditions and does not do well in periods of drought. It prefers acidic soils. It produces seeds but is usually propagated using cuttings of the rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
s.