{{Short description|Species of grass}} {{Speciesbox |image = Panicum coloratum.jpg |genus = Panicum |species = coloratum |authority = L. }}
'''''Panicum coloratum''''' is a species of grass known by the common names '''kleingrass''', '''blue panicgrass'''<ref name=tf>[http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/Panicum_coloratum.htm ''Panicum coloratum''.] Tropical Forages.</ref> (USA),<ref name=wa>[http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/objtwr/imported_assets/content/past/bambatsi%20panic.pdf Bambatsi Panic.] Government of Western Australia Department of Agriculture and Food.</ref><ref name=usda>[https://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_paco2.pdf ''Panicum coloratum''.] USDA NRCS Plant Fact Sheet.</ref> '''white buffalograss''' (southern Africa);<ref name=tf/> '''Bambatsi panic''', '''makarikari grass''',<ref name=wa/> and '''coolah grass''' (Australia).<ref name=tf/> It is native to Africa,<ref name=usda/> and it has been introduced elsewhere, such as the United States and Australia, and bred into many cultivars.<ref name=tf/>
This plant is variable in appearance.<ref name=tf/> In general, is a perennial bunchgrass which usually has rhizomes. The firm, mostly upright stems grow up to {{cvt|1.4|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall. The leaf blades are {{cvt|10|to|30|cm|in|abbr=on}} long.<ref name=gm>[http://herbarium.usu.edu/webmanual/info2.asp?name=Panicum_coloratum&type=treatment ''Panicum coloratum''.] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20121215041948/http://herbarium.usu.edu/webmanual/info2.asp?name=Panicum_coloratum&type=treatment |date=2012-12-15 }} Grass Manual Treatment.</ref> They are green to a waxy blue-green color.<ref name=tf/> The panicles are variable in length.<ref name=gm/> The spikelets are green and purple.<ref name=tf/>
This grass is used as a pasture grass and to make hay.<ref name=tf/> It produces a large amount of forage for animals.<ref name=usda/> It is drought-tolerant and does well in hot climates.<ref name=blake>Blake, C. [http://westernfarmpress.com/alfalfa/kleingrass-gains-ground-desert-ag Kleingrass gains ground in desert ag.] ''Western Farm Press'' September 3, 2009.</ref> This C4 plant can grow on saline soils<ref name=behling>Behling, A. [http://hayandforage.com/mag/farming_kleingrass_catches Kleingrass catches on.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125153226/http://hayandforage.com/mag/farming_kleingrass_catches/ |date=2010-11-25 }} ''Hay and Forage Grower'' February 1, 2001.</ref> and requires some of sodium for effective photosynthesis.<ref name=murata>Murata, S. and J. Sekiya. (1992). [https://web.archive.org/web/20161109160927/http://pcp.oxfordjournals.org/content/33/8/1239.short Effects of sodium on photosynthesis in ''Panicum coloratum''.] ''Plant Cell Physiol'' 33(8) 1239-42.</ref><ref name=matoh>{{cite journal |last1=Matoh |first1=Tōru |last2=Murata |first2=Shinji |title=Sodium Stimulates Growth of Panicum coloratum through Enhanced Photosynthesis |journal=Plant Physiology |date=1 April 1990 |volume=92 |issue=4 |pages=1169–1173 |doi=10.1104/pp.92.4.1169 |pmid=16667386 |pmc=1062431 }}</ref> Different cultivars have varying tolerances of sodium.<ref name=tal>{{cite journal |last1=Seffino |first1=L. García |title=Salinity effects on the early development stages of Panicum coloratum : cultivar differences |journal=Grass and Forage Science |date=September 1998 |volume=53 |issue=3 |pages=270–278 |doi=10.1046/j.1365-2494.1998.00139.x }}</ref> While it makes a good graze for most animals, the grass has occasionally been associated with liver damage and photosensitivity in young ruminants and horses.<ref name=usda/><ref name=merck>[http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/22815.htm Hepatotoxic Plants.] Merck Veterinary Manual.</ref><ref name=bridges>{{cite journal |last1=Bridges |first1=C. H. |last2=Camp |first2=B. J. |last3=Livingston |first3=C. W. |last4=Bailey |first4=E. M. |title=Kleingrass ( Panicum coloratum L.) Poisoning in Sheep |journal=Veterinary Pathology |date=November 1987 |volume=24 |issue=6 |pages=525–531 |doi=10.1177/030098588702400609 |pmid=3455080 |s2cid=29404698 }}</ref> This photosensitivity can lead to sunburn, which causes swelling of the head and ears of the animal, a condition commonly called "swellhead".<ref name=lw>[http://www.livestockweekly.com/papers/99/05/20/whlklein.asp Sheep, goat producers should watch for kleingrass problems.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150828233150/http://www.livestockweekly.com/papers/99/05/20/whlklein.asp |date=2015-08-28 }} ''Livestock Weekly''</ref>
Cultivars include 'Pollock', 'Bambatsi',<ref name=wa/> 'Bushman Mine', 'Verde',<ref name=tf/> and 'Kabulabula'.<ref name=matoh/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PACO2 USDA Plants Profile] * {{cite journal |last1=Cornick |first1=JL |last2=Carter |first2=GK |last3=Bridges |first3=CH |title=Kleingrass-associated hepatotoxicosis in horses |journal=Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association |date=15 October 1988 |volume=193 |issue=8 |pages=932–5 |pmid=3192474 }}
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coloratum Category:Grasses of Africa