PlantPeers
Back to Catalog
Tripsacum dactyloides
Poaceae FAMILY

Tripsacum dactyloides

Tripsacum dactyloides

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

Sesame grass can be found from the cold temperate zone right through to the tropics. It is usually found at elevations above 50 metres in the tropics, but descends to sea level in the temperate zone. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 10 - 24°c, but can tolerate 7 - 30°c[1]. A fairly hardy plant, it can withstand quite severe frosts, though the top growth will be killed off and the plant will regrow when warmer weather returns[PFAF]. The plant can survive temperatures as low as -30°c, but requires at least 140 frost free days per year for longer-term persistence[2]. It grows best in areas with a mean annual rainfall between 900 - 1,500mm, but can tolerate down to 600mm if growing in a good soil[2]. Prefers a position in full sun, tolerating part shade[3]. The plant grows very well in shady locations near water[3]. A very easily grown plant, it prefers a well-drained soil but can tolerate poorly drained conditions with occasional, short-lived waterlogging[4, 2]. The plant can effectively penetrate clay pan layers with a clay contents of 30 - 50% clay, forming extensive root channels in the clay pan layer especially where it had been growing for more than 50 years[5]. In a series of experiments conducted in greenhouses, the plant exhibited tolerance to low soil pH, high soil aluminum concentrations and high soil strength[5]. Succeeds in a range of soils from sandy to clayey[2]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 7.5[2]. The plant has a dense root system extending to 4.5 metres deep, which gives it at least moderate drought tolerance, but it produces little growth in dry weather[2]. Closely related to Tripsacum floridanum[6]. Bi-generic hybrids with Zea spp are known to occur[7].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer. Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Tripsacum+dactyloides>

Pollinators

Wind

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]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.
  3. [3]KemperCentreForHomeGardeningPlantFinder — Missouri Botanical Garden · http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/ ↩︎Basic cultivation details, plant uses, habitat etc for several thousand species of plants, mainly from the temperate zone.
  4. [4]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  5. [5]Plants Database — United States Department of Agriculture · http://plants.usda.gov/java/factSheet ↩︎An online database with an excellent collection of fact sheets about native N. American plants.
  6. [6]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
  7. [7]Ornamental Grasses. — Grounds. R. · Christopher Helm · 1989 · ISBN 0-7470-1219-9 ↩︎Cultivation details of many of the grasses and bamboos. Well illustrated.
  8. [8]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
  9. [9]Gray's Manual of Botany.Eighth Edition — Fernald. M. L. · American Book Co.; New York · 1950 · ISBN 0442222505 ↩︎A bit dated but a good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
  10. [10]Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. — Hedrick. U. P. · Dover Publications · 1972 · ISBN 0-486-20459-6 ↩︎Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
  11. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎