About Melinis repens (Willd.) Zizka
Melinis repens (Willd.) Zizka is a grass species with the common names rose Natal grass, Natal red top, or simply Natal grass. It is native to southern Africa, and has been introduced to other continents including North America and Australia, where it is often classified as a noxious weed. This grass can be either an annual or perennial species that grows up to one meter tall, and its growth rate depends on temperature. Its inflorescence is an open arrangement of branches that carry spikelets densely covered in silky white or pink hair. In the Chishona language, this species is called bhurakwacha. The Mursi people of Ethiopia refer to this grass as imai. It grows along the banks of the Omo River, and gives its name to the star Delta Crucis. The heliacal setting of this star is used to determine when the Omo River will flood and rise high enough to flatten the imai grass.
