Re: kikuyu, aka? (or St. Augustine Grass?)
- Subject: Re: kikuyu, aka? (or St. Augustine Grass?)
- From: M* F*
- Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 15:25:36 -1000 (HST)
On Wed, 21 Feb 2001, Sean A. O'Hara wrote:
St. Augustines is fairly salt tolerant here in Hawaii. It is often used
as a lawn in areas affected by salt spray. It is well adapted to having
wet feet (it is one of the better lawn grasses in Hilo, the rainest city
in the USA)
>
> Here in California, St. Augustine Grass is a common turf grass and often
> goes under the name of Kikuyu. It is Stenotaphrum secundatum (perhaps not
> so scary a latin name). One of the big differences between this and tru
> Kikuyu is that it is stoloniferous rather than rhizominous. St. Augustine
> stolons are well known locally, where they climb up walls, in between
> fenceboards or into hollow posts, only to sprout out somewhere high
> up! You can grasp the stolons and pull them up from the ground, giving you
> long ropes of the stuff. It make a tolerable turf, though very coarse. It
> seems to like water, though it will endure some drought. Its virgorous
> growth will smother everything around it, so it is not a good choice for
> small home gardens with border beds or areas where less vigorous species
> are planted. I have not seen it escape into wildlands, but would be
> interested to hear if it has.
>
> Roberto Burle-Marx, the famous Brazilian artist/landscape designer, once
> planted a huge lawn of the regular green form of this plant along with the
> white variegated form (sometime grown as a houseplant). The planting areas
> were defined by some sort of benderboard border and each kept in its
> respective place. The overall design was an abstract modern design,
> undulating, and puzzle-like, the two tones of the grass creating the
> effect. Quite stunning!
>
> True Kikuyu (Pennisestum clandestinum) has pointed leaf blades which are
> more open or flat that St Augustine Grass. They also have slightly hairy
> stems and leaf sheaths. St Augustine Grass' leaf blades are rounded at
> their tips, and not finely hairy on the blade, sheath, or stem, but they do
> have a fringe of stout hairs on the sheath top, just below the leaf
> blade. The sheath also tends to be compressed.
>
Kikuyu is the forage of choice here in Hawaii. However, it doesn't seemt
o be completly drought tolerant. But then difference between no rain and
drought. In some of the upland areas it gets so dry that the pastures end
up dry crispy and dead. But then it is affected by Sipha flava the golden
sugarcane aphid. Apparently t secrets a toxin that makes the grass yellow
and perhaps less drought tolerant. It seems to speed the death of this
range grass...
MTF
