''Echinochloa pyramidalis'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of large

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 ...

, occurring naturally in flooded regions and beside lakes in tropical Africa and America, and introduced to various other countries. It is commonly known as antelope grass.

Description

''Echinochloa pyramidalis'' is a large, perennial, reed-like grass growing to a height of about or even taller. The stems are solid and roots grow from the lower nodes. The leaves are stiff and blade-shaped and up to long, the ligules of the lower leaves having a fringe of short hairs round the margin which are absent from those of the upper leaves. The leaf sheaths can be either hairy or glabrous (hairless). The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

has a central axis some long, the racemes on either side being up to long and bearing short-stalked, purplish, acute, awnless

spikelet A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the flowers of grasses, sedges and some other Monocots. Each spikelet has one or more florets. The spikelets are further grouped into panicles or spikes. The part of the spikelet that ...

s some long. This is a strong-growing plant with a fasciculated (arranged in bundles) root system and in suitable localities, forms dense stands of even height.

Distribution and habitat

''Echinochloa pyramidalis'' is native to tropical and subtropical Africa. It is found throughout the continent in seasonally inundated grassland, swamps, river and lake edges. It grows well in black

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

, and is moderately tolerant of

anoxic The term anoxia means a total depletion in the level of oxygen, an extreme form of hypoxia or "low oxygen". The terms anoxia and hypoxia are used in various contexts: * Anoxic waters, sea water, fresh water or groundwater that are depleted of diss ...

conditions. It forms a substantial part of the vegetation in the Sudd, the vast swamp in South Sudan through which the White Nile passes. It has been introduced to other areas of the world as a fodder crop and has not in general become naturalised. Its altitudinal range is .

Uses

''Echinochloa pyramidalis'' is palatable to livestock and is cultivated for fodder, being able to withstand heavy

grazing In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to roam around and consume wild vegetations in order to convert the otherwise indigestible (by human gut) cellulose within grass and other ...

; it grows during the wet season, dying back to the base during the dry season, but will resprout vigorously after

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...

s, even in the middle of the dry season. It can be made into

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 ...

, but for this purpose the glabrous varieties are chosen. The grain is sometimes used for human consumption. This grass can be used to prevent erosion on river banks prone to flooding and on earth dams. It can be used in a similar way to reeds for sewage control. Where it has become invasive, as for example in Mexico and Guyana, it reduces

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

and grows so vigorously that it displaces native plants.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15507853 pyramidalis