Species within the genus have many properties that make them valuable forage species. They are capable of
nitrogen fixation and are capable of improving soil fertility in addition to providing high protein stock feed. The genus is also noted for its ability to extract phosphorus from soils where it is not available to other species. Seeds are hard and long lived leading to high soil seed banks and rapid recovery following fire or heavy grazing. Seed survives passage through the gut of grazing animals and is dispersed widely in this manner allowing for rapid dispersal. These traits have made the genus the world’s most widely used tropical pasture legume. This can lead to a ten-fold increase in productivity, though 2–3 fold increases are normal. and the most important pasture legumes of tropical
India.
Stylosanthes are also important forage species in tropical Africa. Despite their ability to dramatically improve productivity in grazing lands,
Stylosanthes can also cause problems.
Stylosanthes can dominate pasture at the expense of grass which can lead to problems because the plants provides less protection from
erosion than grass.
Stylosanthes species are considered invasive species and environmental weeds in
Australia,
Taiwan, the
Pacific Islands and
Hawaii. Many
Stylosanthes species are susceptible to
anthracnose fungus (
Colletotrichum gloeosporioides) which retards growth and seed development, and this had led to numerous commercial cultivars being abandoned. ==Notes==