14 Jan Panic veldt grass
Ehrharta erecta
An aggressive, perennial grass almost
constantly in seed, Ehrharta spreads rapidly
excluding many small native ground cover
species. Similar Native Species: Weeping
Meadow Grass (Microlaena stipoides).
Family: Poaceae
Origin: South Africa
Habit: Vigorous, shade-tolerant, rhizomatous and loosely tufted
perennial grass, that will out-compete native ground covers in
nearly all soil conditions.
Leaves: Bright green, flat leaf blade with soft hairs on surface, to 5-20
cm long, 2-10mm wide, Stems rounded, prominent mid-vein
on the underside of leaf.perennial grass, that will out-compete
native ground covers in nearly all soil conditions.
Flowers: Inflorescences borne on stems, 10-80cm long and grow at any
time during the year. The stem can be upright or curved, often
branched near the base and sometimes tinged red.
Fruit: Profuse and rapid production of 3mm long and oval-shaped,
shiny seeds. They range from immature green to a bleached,
dry appearance. Seeding occurs every 6 weeks and viability
approaches 100%.
Roots: Relatively weak and fibrous, easily removed by hand.
Dispersal: Seed spread by water, animals (mainly birds), humans,
contaminated soil (earthmoving equipment, car tyres etc) and
garden refuse dumping.
Control: Hand pull/dig, bag all seed heads. Foliar spray.
