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Melinis minutiflora
Poaceae FAMILY

Melinis minutiflora

Melinis minutiflora

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

Plants can be grown in tropical to subtropical climates, where they can be found at elevations from sea level to 2,500 metres[1]. Plants grow best in areas where the mean annual temperature falls within the range 22 - 30°c, though they can tolerate 8 - 36°c[1]. Dormant plants can be killed by temperatures down to -5°c, whilst young growth is killed at -1°c[1]. They prefer a mean annual rainfall in the range 900 - 1,700mm, tolerating 700 - 2,700mm[1]. Requires a sunny position[1]. The plant succeeds on a variety of well-drained soils, with surface textures ranging from sands to medium clays[1]. Tolerant of low fertility, though it grows better in fertile soils[1]. Prefers a Ph in the range 5 - 7.5, but tolerates 4.3 - 8.4[1]. Plants are relatively drought-hardy over a dry season of four to five months[2]. The plant spreads quickly under favourable conditions, it is listed as a weed in many countries[2, 1]. Seedling plants are vigorous and establish quickly[2].

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ either surface sowing or only just covering the seed[2]. Seeds germinate best at 20 - 30°c, especially when moistened with water[2]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Melinis+minutiflora>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  2. [2]Grassland Species - Profiles — http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPC/doc/Gbase/Default.htm ↩︎Terse information on over 650 species of plants that grow in grassland, including trees, shrubs and perennial plants as well as grasses. Gives a brief description of the plant, its range and habitat and some of its uses.
  3. [3]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.