Practical
Plants

Eragrostis pilosa

Soft Love Grass

an annual member of the Eragrostis genus in the family Gramineae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Gramineae
Life cycle
annual
Height
0.6 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - ground into a flour and used as a cereal[2]. It is generally seen as a famine food, but is used regularly in some areas[4]. The seed is very small and fiddly to utilize[K].

Plant part
Seed

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The plant is said to be an effective cure for contusions[6].

Product or use
Vulnerary

Environment

Range
Warm Temperate regions.
Habitat
Roadsides, waste places and old fields[7].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 7+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frosts. The seed can also be sown in situ in mid to late spring, though in a cool summer it may fail to ripen many seeds[3].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in any good loam or humus-rich soil in a sunny position[3]. Prefers a light soil[1]. Plants are harvested (from the wild?[K]) on a regular basis in E. Africa for their edible seed[4].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. Grounds. R. Ornamental Grasses. Christopher Helm 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-7470-1219-9

    ↩1↩2

  4. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2

  5. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

  6. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩

  7. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩

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