''Melinis repens'' is a species of

grass Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and spe ...

known by the common names rose Natal grass, Natal red top, or simply Natal grass. It is native to southern Africa and an

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...

, often considered a

noxious weed A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is harmful to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or lives ...

, on other continents such as North America and Australia. It is an annual or perennial grass, growing up to a meter tall. Its growth rate is dependent on temperature. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is an open array of branches bearing spikelets densely coated in silky white or pink. In Chishona, its name is bhurakwacha.

External links

Grass Manual TreatmentJepson Manual Treatment
— ''invasive plant species in California''.
USDA Plants Profile
— ''invasive plant species''.
Western Australian Flora
— ''invasive plant species''. Panicoideae Grasses of Africa Grasses of South Africa Flora of Southern Africa {{Panicoideae-stub