Apluda mutica L.
شيظاف
For people
- Eaten by people
- Not edible
- Toxic to people
- Unknown
For livestock
- Grazed by livestock
- Good fodder
- Toxic to livestock
- Not toxic
Edibility and safety notes
A fodder grass, not a human food: no source records people eating any part of it. Cattle and other livestock graze it readily while it is young; it becomes coarse with age and is ignored when better grasses are available. No poisoning of livestock is reported.
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Description
A rambling perennial grass with smooth, hairless culms up to about 3 m long that root at the lower nodes and branch freely above. Leaf blades flat, 10-30 cm long and 2-10 mm wide; ligule a short membrane. Spikelets in threes (one sessile and bisexual, two stalked), each group enclosed in a small boat-shaped sheath, the groups forming a leafy false panicle. The fertile lemma is either awnless or bears an awn 4-12 mm long. Often scrambles among bushes. Flowers July to December.
Habitat
Margins of thickets and woodland, among bushes and hedges.
Distribution
From the Mascarenes and Socotra through southern Arabia, Pakistan and tropical Asia to Australia and the western Pacific. In Oman it grows in the monsoon-affected mountains of Dhofar.
Pastoral value
Good grazing. A fairly good fodder grass, readily eaten by cattle when young but neglected when more palatable grasses are available.
Other uses
Mainly a fodder grass; no other well-documented uses.
Sources
- الدليل الحقلي المصور للنباتات البرية في سلطنة عُمان (BOOK.pdf p.153)
- Plants of the World Online — Apluda mutica L. — powo.science.kew.org
- Flowers of India — Mauritian Grass (Apluda mutica) — flowersofindia.net Grass.html
- Plants of Taiwan (NTU herbarium) — Apluda mutica — tai2.ntu.edu.tw 006 01 0
- Wikipedia — Apluda — en.wikipedia.org
From the same family
All in this family
Poaceae
Mangrove grass, Rabbit-foot grass, Salt grass
Aeluropus lagopoides (L.) Trin.
Poaceae
Littoral aeluropus, Shore grass
Aeluropus littoralis (Gouan) Parl.
Poaceae
Variable three-awn grass
Aristida mutabilis Trin. & Rupr.
Poaceae
Swollen fingergrass, Purpletop chloris, Swollen windmill grass, Peacock plumegrass
Chloris barbata Sw.