Tripsacum andersonii
Tripsacum andersonii
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
A plant of the moist tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 2,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 30°c, but can tolerate 12 - 35°c[1]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,500 - 2,000mm, but tolerates 1,000 - 3,000mm[1]. Grows best in full sun, but plants can maintain good growth with 50% shade[2, 3]. Requires a fertile, well-drained soil, but can be grown in a range of conditions including very acid coastal sands, peats and acid sulphate soils[2, 3]. Prefers a pH in the range 4 - 4.5, tolerating 2.7 - 5[1]. The plant is adapted to inundated and marshy conditions; it has a remarkable tolerance to shallow water tables, but poor tolerance to soil moisture stress[2].
Propagation
Seed - fertile seeds are seldom, if ever, produced outside the plant's native range[4, 3]. Division of the rhizomes. The plant can be established by planting stem cuttings or rooted culms at the beginning of the rainy season, either in holes or in a plough furrow, 50 - 65cm apart in rows 1 metre wide[4]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Tripsacum+andersonii>
Pollinators
Wind
References
- [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]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
- [3]Tropical Forages — http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/index.htm ↩︎Mainly focussed on forage plants, the site gives a lot of information on the plant, with a good botanical description, details of cultivation, plant uses and a good selection of photographs.
- [4]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.