Hyparrhenia hirta (L.) Stapf
common thatching grass · dektamboekiegras (Afr.)
Wiry, tufted thatching grass with hairy white flower heads (hirta means "hairy"); tough on rocky and poor ground.
What’s in the name: Hyparrhenia: Greek for "male underneath", for the male spikelets at the base of the clusters; hirta: "hairy".
“All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field”
— Isaiah 40:6 (KJV), The King James Version of the Bible (Project Gutenberg)
Available from AVNPlants: see the availability list.
Family
Poaceae
Conservation status
Least Concern, SANBI Red List of South African Plants
Natural distribution & habitat
Common in southern Africa and found through Africa to the Mediterranean and Pakistan. Open grassland, rocky slopes and river banks on most soils, especially well-drained ones.
Size & form
Tufted perennial grass usually 30–80 cm, with a hard base, narrow rough leaves and short rhizomes.
Flowering
September to June.
Care notes
Seed germinates readily over a wide range of conditions and seedlings establish even within existing stands.
Wildlife value
Wind-pollinated and wind-dispersed.
Find out more
Facts checked against: SANBI PlantZAfrica species page 'Hyparrhenia hirta'; SANBI Red List of South African Plants, Hyparrhenia hirta (L.) Stapf (assessment 2005/06/30).