Limpograss quick facts

What is limpograss?

Limpograss, also called swamp couch and red swamp grass, is a tropical forage grass that prefers high humidity and is well adapted to wet soil. It is mainly used as a forage grass (a grass used for pasture, silage, and hay crops).

Where is limpograss found?

The majority of limpograss is native to the Old World tropics and subtropics, including large parts of Africa and Asia. Limpograss is also native to Europe in areas of high heat and humidity, specifically Greece, Italy, and Spain. Limpograss has been introduced and is cultivated for livestock feed in the Americas, including the southern United States, the Caribbean islands, Central America, and South America. Limpograss has also been introduced to northern Australia.

How is limpograss grown?

Limpograss prefers subtropical and tropical climates with temperatures ranging from 60°F and 95°F (16°C and 35°C), and it grows best at temperatures of at least 88°F (31°C). It prefers high humidity and needs lots of moisture to thrive. For this reason, limpograss is often found in swamps, lakes, or in vleis, ephemeral South African wetlands. Limpograss is not drought tolerant, although it is salt tolerant and can grow in somewhat acidic soils.

Limpograss flowers during the summer. Because it usually has poor seed production, it is propagated asexually using cuttings (pieces of plants). Limpograss also spreads by the elongation of stolons (horizontally growing stems).

How is limpograss used?

Limpograss has a variety of uses. The primarily use of limpograss is as a pasture crop on which livestock graze, mainly beef cattle and occasionally horses. Farmers also cut it to make hay or silage. The grass is relatively nutritious, and the rhizomes are sometimes harvested for food in Lesotho, southern Africa.

Limpograss can also be used for revegetation, erosion control, and suppressing invasive plants (in areas where limpograss is native). Because it tolerates marginal land and soils with high concentrations of aluminum and manganese, limpograss could be used to revegetate areas affected by acid mine drainage (AMD).

What are the benefits and drawbacks of limpograss as a forage grass?

Limpograss is often used as a forage grass because it is nutritious and easy for livestock to digest. It also does not suffer from leaf diseases nor from attacks by insects, although some varieties are affected by sting nematodes and other pests. Limpograss rarely becomes weedy, in part because it produces relatively few seeds. Nevertheless, limpograss is considered invasive in Florida, U.S.A., where it was introduced in the 1960s or 1970s as a forage.

While it is used as a pasture crop, limpograss cannot withstand long periods of intense grazing. It is also low in protein, although growing the grass with legumes can provide supplemental protein for livestock.