Red grass

In autumn tussocks of this grass turn Lesotho’s mountainsides russet – it is the basis of the pastures on which Basotho herders depend.

Themeda triandra is a perennial tussock grass growing 0.5–1.5 m tall, with narrow leaves that turn reddish-brown in the dry season and in autumn. Its distinctive spikelets have long, twisted awns that coil and uncoil with changes in moisture, screwing the seeds into the soil. It is one of the most widespread grasses in Africa and dominates well-managed grasslands that burn regularly. It provides high-quality grazing, but under overgrazing it gives way to less valuable species.

Significance in the country

Grassy slopes of Themeda triandra are grazing land for sheep and Angora goats, thanks to which Lesotho is an important producer of wool and mohair. Ecologists use the share of this grass in the sward as an indicator of the condition of pastures threatened by erosion.

Where it grows

Throughout the country, from the western lowlands to mountain slopes at about 2,500 m; the most extensive grasslands are in the mountain districts and on the Semonkong plateau.

More: Wikipedia (en)