Taxon: Chloris gayana Kunth

Summary

Genus:

Chloris

Family:

Poaceae (alt. Gramineae)

Subfamily:

Chloridoideae

Tribe:

Cynodonteae

Subtribe:

Eleusininae

Nomen number:

10260

Place of publication:

Révis. gramin. 1:293, t. 58. 1830 (1:89. 1829, nom. nud.)

Verified:

05/06/1992 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

206 (136 active, 118 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Chloris abyssinica Hochst. ex A. Rich.

Images (1 total. Click on image for more.)

Links

Spikelets and/or florets – Seed ID Workshop image, from Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, Ohio State University

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Plants of southern Africa: an online checklist.
University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Burkill, H. M. 1985-2004. The useful plants of west tropical Africa.
CIBA-GEIGY, Basel, Switzerland. Documenta CIBA-GEIGY (Grass weeds 1. 1980, 2. 1981; Monocot weeds 3. 1982; Dicot weeds 1. 1988) Note: four books on weeds worldwide in scope
Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen 2:1299.
Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
Gibbs-Russell, G. E. et al. 1990. Grasses of southern Africa. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa vol. 58
Görts-van Rijn, A. R. A., ed. 1986-. Flora of the Guianas.
Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Harling, G. & B. Sparre, eds. 1973-. Flora of Ecuador.
Howell, C. J. & J. W. D. Sawyer. 2006. New Zealand naturalised vascular plant checklist
Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares. Note: introduced
Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
International Seed Testing Association. 1982. A Multilingual Glossary of Common Plant-Names 1. Field crops, grasses and vegetables, ed. 2.
Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
Lazarides, M. & B. Hince. 1993. CSIRO Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia
Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2
Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970-. Flora of [West] Pakistan.
Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Smith, A. C. 1979-1991. Flora vitiensis nova.
't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 4:90.
Thulin, M., ed. 1993-. Flora of Somalia.
Tovar, Ó. 1993. Las gramíneas (Poaceae) del Perú. Ruizia 13:282-283. Note: introduced
Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
Vibrans, H., ed. Malezas de México (on-line resource).
Villaseñor, J. L. & F. J. Espinoza-Garcia. 2004. The alien flowering plants of Mexico. Diversity & Distrib. 7:365-382.
Wagner, W. L. et al. Flora of the Hawaiian Islands (on-line resource).
Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Zon, A. P. M. van der. 1992. Graminées du Cameroun
Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 1994. Catálogo de la familia Poaceae en la República Argentina. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 47
2018. Mid-Atlantic invasive plant species (on-line resource)

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	Abyssinian Rhodes grass	1	Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
English	Rhodes grass	1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
French	chloris	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
French	herbe de Rhodes	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
German	Rhodasgras	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Italian	erba di Rhodes	2	International Seed Testing Association. 1982. A Multilingual Glossary of Common Plant-Names 1. Field crops, grasses and vegetables, ed. 2.
Portuguese	capim-de-Rhodes	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	grama de Rodas	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	pasto de Rodas	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Transcribed Chinese	fei zhou hu wei cao	2	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Kenya			Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Tanzania			Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1	Native	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Uganda			Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Macaronesia	Portugal	Madeira Islands		Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	Macaronesia	Spain	Canarias		Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Ethiopia			Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Somalia			Thulin, M., ed. 1993-. Flora of Somalia.
1	Native	Africa	Northeast Tropical Africa	Sudan			Thulin, M., ed. 1993-. Flora of Somalia.
1	Native	Africa	Northern Africa	Algeria			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	Northern Africa	Egypt			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	Northern Africa	Morocco			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	Northern Africa	Tunisia			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Mozambique			Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1	Native	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Zimbabwe			Gibbs-Russell, G. E. et al. 1990. Grasses of southern Africa. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa vol. 58
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	Botswana			Plants of southern Africa: an online checklist.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	Lesotho			Plants of southern Africa: an online checklist.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	Namibia			Plants of southern Africa: an online checklist.
1	Native	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa			Plants of southern Africa: an online checklist.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Mali			Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Niger			Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1	Native	Africa	West Tropical Africa	Senegal			Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
2	Cultivated	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Kenya			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Africa	East Tropical Africa	Tanzania			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Zambia			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Africa	South Tropical Africa	Zimbabwe			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Africa	Southern Africa	South Africa			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Asia-Temperate	Caucasus	Georgia			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Japan			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Korea			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Thailand			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Philippines			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Australasia	Australia	Australia			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Northern America		United States		s.	Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Pacific	Southwestern Pacific	Fiji			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Southern America	Southern South America	Uruguay			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
4	Naturalized	Australasia	New Zealand	New Zealand			Howell, C. J. & J. W. D. Sawyer. 2006. New Zealand naturalised vascular plant checklist
4	Naturalized	Europe	Southwestern Europe	Spain			Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Northern America		Mexico			Villaseñor, J. L. & F. J. Espinoza-Garcia. 2004. The alien flowering plants of Mexico. Diversity & Distrib. 7:365-382.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Florida		Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Pacific	North-Central Pacific	United States	Hawaii		Wagner, W. L. et al. Flora of the Hawaiian Islands (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Paraná		Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares. Note: introduced
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Rio Grande do Sul		Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares. Note: introduced
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Cuba			Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Dominican Republic			Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Jamaica			Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina			Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares. Note: introduced
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Southern South America	Chile			Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares. Note: introduced
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Southern South America	Paraguay			Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares. Note: introduced
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Western South America	Bolivia			Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares. Note: introduced
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Western South America	Peru			Tovar, Ó. 1993. Las gramíneas (Poaceae) del Perú. Ruizia 13:282-283. Note: introduced

Native
Africa

MACARONESIA: Spain [Canarias], Portugal [Madeira Islands]
NORTHERN AFRICA: Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia
NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia
EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Mali, Niger, Senegal
SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Mozambique, Zimbabwe
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa

Cultivated
Africa

EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania
SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Zambia, Zimbabwe
SOUTHERN AFRICA: South Africa

Asia-Temperate

CAUCASUS: Georgia
EASTERN ASIA: Korea, Japan

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India
INDO-CHINA: Thailand
MALESIA: Philippines

Australasia

AUSTRALIA: Australia

Northern America

REGION: United States (s.)

Pacific

SOUTHWESTERN PACIFIC: Fiji

Southern America

BRAZIL: Brazil
SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Uruguay

Naturalized
Australasia

NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand

Europe

SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Spain

Northern America

SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Florida]
REGION: Mexico

Pacific

NORTH-CENTRAL PACIFIC: United States [Hawaii]

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica
BRAZIL: Brazil [Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul]
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia, Peru
SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Chile, Paraguay

Reference(s)

Plants of southern Africa: an online checklist.
Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
Gibbs-Russell, G. E. et al. 1990. Grasses of southern Africa. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Africa vol. 58
Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Howell, C. J. & J. W. D. Sawyer. 2006. New Zealand naturalised vascular plant checklist
Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares. Note: introduced
Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
Thulin, M., ed. 1993-. Flora of Somalia.
Tovar, Ó. 1993. Las gramíneas (Poaceae) del Perú. Ruizia 13:282-283. Note: introduced
Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
Villaseñor, J. L. & F. J. Espinoza-Garcia. 2004. The alien flowering plants of Mexico. Diversity & Distrib. 7:365-382.
Wagner, W. L. et al. Flora of the Hawaiian Islands (on-line resource).

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Animal food	fodder		't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 4:90.
Animal food	forage		't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 4:90.
Environmental	erosion control		Lazarides, M. & B. Hince. 1993. CSIRO Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia
Weed	seed contaminant	potential	CIBA-GEIGY, Basel, Switzerland. Documenta CIBA-GEIGY (Grass weeds 1. 1980, 2. 1981; Monocot weeds 3. 1982; Dicot weeds 1. 1988) Note: four books on weeds worldwide in scope

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=10260. Accessed 17 April 2026.