In the
Kafue Flats region of
Zambia, it is the dominant plant of
eutrophic, slow-moving waters. It forms fairly
monocultural stands with few other species, but shares this
habitat with the tiny free-floating aquatic
carnivorous plant Utricularia gibba subsp. exoleta in sheltered areas where the waters are calm. Hippo grass can also be found here together with other plants in areas where different habitats meet, transitioning briefly with the herb
Polygonum senegalense and elsewhere the tall cane
Sorghum verticilliflorum along the banks of the main river course, as well as on the floodplains with the similar but annual aquatic grass
Echinochloa stagnina and elsewhere with the water-lily
Nymphaea lotus. In this area it is heavily
grazed upon by huge herds of
Kafue Flats lechwe, an
antelope, which are largely dependent upon it in the dry season. This keeps the mat of stems in check, which allows other
herbaceous plants to colonise areas of open water, while at the same time freeing up grass seeds caught in the mat. These
overgrazed areas thus create the habitat for some of the profusion of birdlife. When the waters rise as the annual floods in the Kafue Flats commence, upon regular occasion large chucks of
Vossia and
Echinochloa stems detach, and these slowly dying clumps of grass become wind-blown floating mats in the swamps, which host their own unique ecosystem, dominated by the sedge
Pycreus mundii, and further supporting the sedges
Cyperus nudicaulis,
C. imbricatus and
Scirpus cubensis, and the herbs
Alternanthera sessilis,
Ipomoea mauritiana,
I. rubens,
Ludwigia stolonifera,
L. leptocarpa and a
Commelina species. In Zambia
V. cuspidata flowers from January through May, with a peak at the end of March. It does not flower in years of drought on patches of land which do not flood. ;Formerly included see
Phacelurus •
Vossia cambogiensis -
Phacelurus cambogiensis •
Vossia speciosa -
Phacelurus speciosus ==References==