Plant Guide

MULTIFLOWER Description
General: Multiflower false Rhodes grass is a native,
FALSE RHODES warm-season perennial bunchgrass. It grows 4 to 5
feet tall. The leaf blade is wide and flat with a
GRASS strong midrib. It has a ligule that is prominently
ciliate. The seedhead has several spikes, 2 to 3
Trichloris pluriflora Fourn. inches long. The spikelets are usually 4-flowered.
Plant Symbol = TRPL3
Distribution: Its natural range is south of San
Antonio, Texas in the eastern two-thirds of the Rio
Grande Plain and continuing down into Mexico and
Central America. For current distribution, please
consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the
PLANTS Web site.

Adaptation
Multiflower false Rhodes grass grows best on sandy
loam to clay loam soils. It is not cold tolerant and is
unlikely to perform well outside of the Rio Grande
Plain Ecoregion.

Establishment
Seedbed preparation should begin well in advance of
planting. Planting can be scheduled for early spring
or where there are few cool-season weeds, it can be
planted in the fall. Establish a clean, weed-free
seedbed by either tillage or herbicides. Prior to
planting, the site should be firm and have
accumulated soil moisture.
Figure 1. Multiflower false Rhodes grass plants. Photo by Shelly
Maher, STPMC, Kingsville, TX.
Multiflower false Rhodes grass is best seeded using a
native-grass drill with picker wheels to ensure a good
Contributed by: USDA NRCS E. “Kika” de la Garza
planting of the fluffy seed. Broadcast seeding may
Plant Materials Center
be used in areas not easily planted with a drill, but
Alternate Names some type of additional coverage such as culti-
Chloris pluriflora (Fourn.) W.D. Clayton, fourflower packing or light dragging will be beneficial to ensure
trichloris good seed to soil contact. Seed coatings (talc based)
can also be used to increase the flowability of the
Uses fluffy seed through standard seed drills. Seed should
Livestock: Multiflower false Rhodes grass produces be planted 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep. It is better to plant
abundant forage on many range sites in south Texas. too shallow than too deep.
It provides moderate to high quality forage for all
types of grazing livestock. Soil analysis should be performed prior to planting to
determine the necessary levels of nitrogen,
Wildlife: Multiflower false Rhodes grass provides phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen should not be
fair forage for wildlife. It also provides good nesting applied until the stand is established. If one to two
cover for fawns and upland game birds. plants per square foot have become established, then
the planting has been successful.
Status
Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Management
Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s Multiflower false Rhodes grass should not be grazed
current status (e.g., threatened or endangered species, the first year after planting. After a stand is
state noxious status, and wetland indicator values). established, either continuous or rotational grazing
can be used. It is recommended that a minimum 6 - Well managed seed fields have produced from 15-85
inch stubble height be maintained under continuous bulk pounds of clean seed. Purity of the seed is
grazing. For rotational grazing, forage height should usually around 88% and germination rates range from
be utilized between 4 to 10 inches. Contact your 30 to 60%. Adequately stored seed in humidity and
local USDA-NRCS field office for assistance in temperature controlled facilities can be expected to
planning and applying prescribed grazing. Plants stay viable for over 10 years.
should be allowed to produce seed annually to insure
stand health. Multiflower false Rhodes grass is a Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and
long-lived perennial that is extremely drought and area of origin)
fire tolerant once established. Hidalgo Germplasm multiflower false Rhodes grass
was released by the E. “Kika” de la Garza Plant
Pests and Potential Problems Materials Center in 2011. It was selected for its
No severe insect or disease problems have been survivability, plant vigor, forage production and seed
observed in multiflower false Rhodes grass. production characteristics. It is predominantly
However, it is not cold tolerant which may cause adapted to clay loam, bottomland, and tight sandy
survival issues if Hidalgo Germplasm is moved loam range sites in south Texas. For calibration
outside its intended area of use. purposes, Hidalgo Germplasm multiflower false
Rhodes grass contains approximately 2,146,000
Environmental Concerns uncoated seeds per bulk pound. A seeding rate of
There are no known environmental concerns half a pound of pure live seed (PLS) per acre is
associated with multiflower false Rhodes grass. recommended. In planting mixtures reduce the rate
according to the percent of multiflower false Rhodes
Seeds and Plant Production grass in the mixture. Breeder seed is maintained by
Seed increase plots have been planted on 36” bedded USDA-NRCS, E. “Kika” de la Garza Plant Materials
rows, however flat plantings may be possible with Center.
frequent weeding. Multiflower false Rhodes grass
can also be established with vegetative transplants. References
Rapid spread and growth has been observed in Gould, F.W. 1975. The Grasses of Texas. Texas
transplant established stands providing seed harvests A&M University Press. College Station, Texas.
within the first year. Furthermore transplants stands
facilitate better weed control in the seed production Prepared By:
fields. Deep soil tillage or frequent close cultivation John Lloyd-Reilley, Manager
is recommended to promote seed production. USDA-NRCS, E. “Kika” de la Garza Plant Materials
Herbicides containing 2,4-D, Pendamethelin, Center, Kingsville, Texas
Atrazine, and Halosulfuron-methyl are safe for weed
control once plants are beyond the seedling growth Citation
stage. Lloyd-Reilley, J. 2011. Plant guide for multiflower
false Rhodes grass (Trichloris pluriflora). USDA-
Multiflower false Rhodes grass produces seed usually Natural Resources Conservation Service, E. “Kika”
twice a year, once in the early summer and again in de la Garza Plant Materials Center. Kingsville,
the late fall. Seed is harvested with a Flail Vac or Texas 78363.
similar brush-type harvester. The use of slow travel
and RPM speeds while harvesting results in relatively Published August 2011
clean seed, needing little cleaning or processing.
Debearding of the seed has been accomplished For more information about this and other plants,
through the use of a Westrup brush machine. please contact your local NRCS field office or
However, do not aggressively debeard the seed such Conservation District at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/
that it removes the caryopsis from the glumes as seed and visit the PLANTS Web site at
damage or reductions in seed life have been http://plants.usda.gov/ or the Plant Materials Program
observed. To clean stems and chaff from harvests, a Web site http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov.
Clipper seed cleaner has been used following the
debearding treatment. PLANTS is not responsible for the content or
availability of other Web sites.

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