''Panicum coloratum'' is a species of

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...

known by the common names kleingrass, blue panicgrass''Panicum coloratum''.
Tropical Forages. (USA),Bambatsi Panic.
Government of Western Australia Department of Agriculture and Food.''Panicum coloratum''.
USDA NRCS Plant Fact Sheet. white buffalograss (southern Africa); Bambatsi panic, makarikari grass, and coolah grass (Australia). It is native to Africa, and it has been introduced elsewhere, such as the United States and Australia, and bred into many

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s. This plant is variable in appearance. In general, is a perennial bunchgrass which usually has rhizomes. The firm, mostly upright stems grow up to tall. The leaf blades are long.''Panicum coloratum''.
Grass Manual Treatment. They are green to a waxy blue-green color. The panicles are variable in length. The spikelets are green and purple. This grass is used as a pasture grass and to make

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticat ...

. It produces a large amount of forage for animals. It is

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

-tolerant and does well in hot climates.Blake, C
Kleingrass gains ground in desert ag.
''Western Farm Press'' September 3, 2009. This C4 plant can grow on saline soilsBehling, A
Kleingrass catches on.
''Hay and Forage Grower'' February 1, 2001. and requires some of sodium for effective

photosynthesis Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored i ...

.Murata, S. and J. Sekiya. (1992)
Effects of sodium on photosynthesis in ''Panicum coloratum''.
''Plant Cell Physiol'' 33(8) 1239-42. Different cultivars have varying tolerances of sodium. While it makes a good graze for most animals, the grass has occasionally been associated with

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...

damage and

photosensitivity Photosensitivity is the amount to which an object reacts upon receiving photons, especially visible light. In medicine, the term is principally used for abnormal reactions of the skin, and two types are distinguished, photoallergy and phototoxicit ...

in young

ruminant Ruminants (suborder Ruminantia) are hoofed herbivorous grazing or browsing mammals that are able to acquire nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it in a specialized stomach prior to digestion, principally through microbial actions. The ...

s and horses.Hepatotoxic Plants.
Merck Veterinary Manual. This photosensitivity can lead to

sunburn Sunburn is a form of radiation burn that affects living tissue, such as skin, that results from an overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, usually from the Sun. Common symptoms in humans and animals include: red or reddish skin that is h ...

, which causes swelling of the head and ears of the animal, a condition commonly called "swellhead".Sheep, goat producers should watch for kleingrass problems.
''Livestock Weekly'' Cultivars include 'Pollock', 'Bambatsi', 'Bushman Mine', 'Verde', and 'Kabulabula'.

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q7131126 coloratum Grasses of Africa