Ehrharta is a genus of grasses in the family Poaceae (order Poales), comprising around 28 accepted species. The genus belongs to the subfamily Ehrhartoideae, a lineage that also includes rice (Oryza) and wild rice (Zizania), placing Ehrharta among the more ancient grass lineages.
The great majority of species are native to Africa, with the centre of diversity in southern Africa's fynbos and grassland biomes. A smaller number of species extend to the southern Arabian Peninsula, the Maluku Islands of Indonesia, Fiji, and New Zealand, giving the genus an unusually wide but discontinuous range for a predominantly African group.
Several species have become significant invasive weeds outside their native range. Ehrharta erecta (panic veldt grass), Ehrharta calycina (perennial veldt grass), and Ehrharta longiflora (annual veldt grass) have established in parts of North and South America, Europe, India, and Australia, where they can form dense stands that displace native vegetation. In Australia and California in particular, these species are regarded as serious environmental weeds.
The genus is commonly known as veldtgrass or veldt grass, reflecting its South African origins (Afrikaans: veld, meaning open grassland). The genus was named by Thunberg in honour of Jakob Friedrich Ehrhart (1742–1795), a German-Swiss botanist who worked in Hannover and collected extensively in Europe.
Etymology
The genus Ehrharta was named by the Swedish botanist Carl Peter Thunberg in honour of Jakob Friedrich Ehrhart (1742–1795), a German-Swiss botanist and pharmacist who worked at the Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen in Hannover. The common name "veldtgrass" derives from the Afrikaans word veld, referring to the open grasslands of southern Africa where most species are native.
Distribution
Most Ehrharta species are native to southern and eastern Africa, with the genus reaching its greatest diversity in South Africa's Cape Floristic Region. Outlying native populations occur in the southern Arabian Peninsula, the Maluku Islands (Indonesia), Fiji, and New Zealand. Three species — E. erecta, E. calycina, and E. longiflora — have been widely introduced and are now naturalised as invasive weeds across parts of North and South America, Australia, Europe, and India.
Ecology
Within their native African range, Ehrharta grasses occupy fynbos, renosterveld, and grassland habitats, often growing in sandy or rocky soils. Where introduced abroad, particularly in Australia and California, species such as E. calycina form dense monocultures that alter fire regimes, suppress native forbs and bulbs, and degrade biodiversity-rich habitats. Their prolific seed production and tolerance of dry, nutrient-poor soils contribute to their success as invaders.
