The Natal red top, also known as Natal grass or Natalse rooipluim, is a very striking annual or biennial in the grass family Poaceae. The genus Melinis, which is derived from the Latin ‘mel’, meaning honey, is descriptive of the sweet, syrup-like scent given off by certain members of this genus, and the specific name ‘repens’, meaning creeping, refers to the creeping nature of the base of the stems, which root when they touch the ground.
The Natal red top is widespread in KwaZulu-Natal and also occurs in the other provinces of South Africa including the Western Cape, where it has become naturalised. It is also found in Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique, and further north and east to the Arabian Peninsula, the Seychelles and India. In South Africa…