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Common Name: Weeping Love Grass

General Information

Eragrostis curvula is a Evergreen Perennial up to 1.20 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

S. Africa - north to Zimbabwe and the Transvaal.

Habitat

Not known

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	1.20 m
Pollinators	Apomictic, wind
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Easily grown in most well-drained soils so long as the plant is in a hot, dry, sunny position[]. Weeping love grass is reported to tolerate an annual precipitation of 31 to 163cm, an annual temperature range of 5.9 to 26.2°C and a pH in the range of 5.0 to 8.2[]. It is adapted to semi-arid and desert areas and sandy soils, growing well on low fertility soils[]. A very drought-resistant plant, but it lacks hardiness for more northern areas[]. It grows well on a wide range of well-drained soils, especially sandy loams; moderately frost-resistant in southern areas[].
Plants are hardy to about -5°c and succeed outdoors in the milder areas of Britain[].
The roots contain pyrocatechol, suggesting an explanation for the plants resistance to nematodes[].
The species and its varieties are apomictic (producing seed without fertilization) although sexual plants have occasionally been found[].

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked[]. Used as a grain[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

A deep-rooted plant, it is considered excellent for protecting terraces and for grassing water channels and is valuable for erosion control[].
In Lesotho, the plant is used to make baskets, brooms, hats, ropes, and candles[].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frosts.
The seed can also be sown in situ in mid to late spring, though in a cool summer it may fail to ripen many seeds[].
Division in spring.