African Bristlegrass
Setaria sphacelata
- Native to:
- Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Caprivi Strip, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, DR Congo, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guam, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Palau, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
JMK
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Poaceae
- Genus:
- Setaria
- Species:
- Setaria sphacelata
- USDA Symbol:
- SESP5
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Graminoid
- Height:
- 200 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun
- Drought Tolerance:
- Medium
- Bloom Months:
- jul,aug,sep,oct
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- birds, grazing mammals
- Fire Ecology:
- Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
- Fire Notes:
- Resprouts vigorously from the base after fire; commonly used in fire-prone tropical and subtropical grasslands.
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- fertile, well-drained loamy soil
- pH:
- 5.5 - 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- tolerates poor drainage
- Moisture:
- consistently moist
- Notes:
- Thrives in tropical and subtropical regions
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- None required
- Germination Time:
- 7–21 days
- Notes:
- Seeds germinate readily in warm conditions; light may improve germination rates.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI