Pennisetum purpureum

A perennial grass reaching 4m tall and 0.5m wide with fast growth. Hardy to UK zone 9. Attracts wildlife and grows in light, medium, or heavy soils across a range of pH levels. Tolerates semi-shade to full sun, prefers moist conditions but can endure drought.

Description

A grass which keeps growing from year to year. It forms large clumps. It can grow 2-4 m tall. The leaf blades are 4 cm wide. The edges become very sharp. The flowers are dense and spike like. They are yellow, brown and purple.

Edible Uses

The young shoots and leaves are added to soups to contribute extra protein, carbohydrates, fat, and vitamins — note that this soup has a mildly laxative effect. Very young, tender inflorescences are also eaten as a vegetable. The stalks can be burned to ash, and the soluble and insoluble components separated with water to produce a vegetable salt. The plant has been successfully crossed with Pennisetum glaucum (pearl millet) to produce forage grasses, with potential for development as a perennial millet staple crop.

Traditional Uses

The young shoots or leaves are added to soup. They are also stir fried. The stalks are reduced to ash and then the soluble and insoluble parts separated out with water to produce vegetable salt.

Medicinal Uses

The plant has numerous medicinal applications in Africa. Nigerian material has been found to contain a trace of alkaloid in the leaf. Extracts from all parts of the plant are strongly diuretic. An infusion of both foliage and culms is used to treat anuria, while a root decoction is given for blennorrhoea. A leaf infusion serves as a gargle and mouthwash for buccal complaints, gingivitis, and thrush. Sap pressed from young shoots heated over a fire is mixed with a little salt and instilled into the eyes for cataracts. The sap is also regarded as healing on wounds, alone or combined with other herbs, and the stem sap is used for ear problems. Pith from the ends of young culms is softened in fire and applied as a dressing for contusions. Ash from roasted culms is blended into an ointment with palm oil or false shea butter (Lophira lanceolata) to treat herpes and other skin complaints. This ash is also added to slices of large green banana and placed on ulcers on the soles of the feet. The seed is reportedly used to cure headaches.

Known Hazards

Can cause nitrate poisoning in cattle if fed as sole diet component.

Distribution

It is a tropical grass. It grows in sand and loam. It can grow in warm temperate areas. It does well in fertile soils with a rainfall or 1,000-1,500 mm per year. It grows below 2,300 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Where It Grows

Africa, American Samoa, Angola, Asia, Australia, Belize, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, China, Colombia, Congo DR, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guiana, Guinea, Guinée, Guyana, Hawaii, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Middle East, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norfolk Island, Oman, Pacific, Panama, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Peru, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, St Helena, Sudan, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, USA, Venezuela, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

It is found at elevations from near sea level to 2,000 metres in the tropics. It grows best in areas where the mean annual temperature falls within the range 21 - 40°c, but can tolerate 15 - 45°c. Plants can survive occasional light frosts. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,500 - 2,500mm, tolerating 850 - 4,000mm. Grows best in a sunny position, but tolerates light shade. Succeeds in most soils - although it can persist and compete in dry, sandy soils, it grows best in rich, well-drained conditions. Established plants have a deep root system and are extremely drought tolerant. It prefers a pH in the range 5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 8.2. The plant has escaped from cultivation and becomes naturalized in many parts of the tropics and subtropics. In moist rich places it forms reed jungles, thereby eliminating the use of such land for cultivation. It forms dense perennial stands, difficult to penetrate, which inhibits the establishment of other vegetation. A fast-growing plant, under favourable conditions it can reach a height of several metres within 60 days. Plants recover well after fire, and can become the dominant vegetation in fire-affected savannah communities. Seed set is usually poor, possibly due to low pollen viability. Moderate shade tolerance. USDA Hardiness Zone 8 - 11. Carbon Farming Solutions - Cultivation: global crop. Management: hay (Describes the non-destructive management systems that are used in cultivation).

Propagation

Plants are easily grown from cuttings, seed, or by dividing established clumps. To propagate from cuttings, simply push small stem sections into damp soil either in place or in a nursery setting — roots strike very quickly.

Other Uses

Napier grass is used as fodder and is extremely palatable to all classes of livestock when young and leafy. It can cause nitrate poisoning in cattle if used as the sole dietary component. Oxalate levels measure 2.5–3.1% of dry matter, though no associated problems have been recorded. Dry matter yields of 10–30 t/ha/yr are common when well fertilised, reaching up to 85 t/ha/yr under optimal conditions; unfertilised stands yield 2–10 t/ha/yr. More frequent cuts (up to every 45 days) reduce dry matter yield but improve leaf production. The plant is used in push-pull pest management, repelling stem-borer moths — a major cause of yield loss in Africa — away from maize. It improves soil fertility and protects arid land from erosion. Additional uses include firebreaks, windbreaks, paper pulp production, bio-oil, biogas, and charcoal. It is planted as a boundary marker between garden plots, though its roots can compete with adjacent crops. Stands established on riverbanks help prevent erosion and scour. It is commonly intercropped with cassava and banana in home gardens.

Other Information

It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. It is only a minor food.

Notes

There are about 100 Pennisetum species.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Achara, Agwoh, Azong grass, Balanco, Bibingu, Capim elefante, Litete, Mane, Nsenjere, Ntisong, Vao povi, Xiang cao

References (29)

• Akoroda M.O., 1990, Ethnobotany of Telfairia occidentalis (Cucurbitaceae) among Igbos of Nigeria. Economic Botany. 44(1) pp 29-39
• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 438
• Beskr. Guin. pl. 44. 1827
• Bunderson, W. T. et al, 2002, Common Agroforestry Species in Malawi. Malawi Agroforestry Extension Project, Pubication No. 46, Lilongwe. p 49
• Burkill, H. M., 1985, The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 2. Kew.

More from Poaceae

Panicum hirtum

Panicum infestum

Grooved panic-grass

Panicum kalaharense

Kalahari buffalo grass

Panicum kotschyanum

Panicum laetum

Desert panic

Panicum laevinode