Stipagrostis giessii
Kers
gbif· cc-by
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
gbif· cc-by
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
gbif· cc0
Conveyor Belt
Description
A herb. It is an erect grass that forms tufts. It keeps growing from year to year. The flower heads are spiny. It grows 80 cm high. The leaves are near the base. They are 7-25 cm long by 2 mm wide. The flower heads are branched.
Edible Uses
The seeds are used in porridge.
Traditional Uses
The seeds are used in porridge.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
It is a subtropical plant. It grows in hot arid places with a marked dry season. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall less than 400 mm. It grows on sandy and stony soils. It grows between 300-1,200 m above sea level. It can be on dunes and in the desert. It can grow in arid places.
Where It Grows
Africa, Angola, Central Africa, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa,
Production
Seeds are collected from harvester ant nests.
References (4)
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1999). Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL) database. Published on the Internet; http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ceb/sepasal/internet [Accessed 4th June 2011]
- Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 90
- Welcome, A. K. & Van Wyk, B.-E., 2019, An inventory and analysis of the food plants of southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 136–179
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
