Sacciolepis africana
C. E. Hubbard & Snowden
Urungwe swamp grass
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(c) Marco Schmidt, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Marco Schmidt
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc-sa
(c) Marco Schmidt, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Marco Schmidt
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Umar Musa, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
A grass. This is similar to and probably overlaps with Sacciolepis interrupta. It has rhizomes or underground stems and keeps growing from year to year.
Edible Uses
The seeds are used as a cereal, particularly as a famine food.
Distribution
A tropical plant. It grows in shallow water and flood plain grassland between 650-1,500 m above sea level.
Where It Grows
Africa, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Southern Africa, Sudan, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
Other Information
It is a famine food.
Notes
There are about 30 Sacciolepis species.
Also Known As
Babaci, Bombom, Bu su, Cabaram-o, Ikasi, Kintibo, Kuli, Mbande, Nbumbum, Umpolpol
References (9)
- Abbiw, D.K., 1990, Useful Plants of Ghana. West African uses of wild and cultivated plants. Intermediate Technology Publications and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p 26
- Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1936:294. 1936
- Burkill, H. M., 1985, The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 2. Kew.
- Fowler, D. G., 2007, Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses. Kew. p 72
- Gallagher, D. E., 2010, Farming beyond the escarpment: Society, Environment, and Mobility in Precolonial Southeastern Burkina Faso. PhD University of Michigan.
Show all 9 references Hide references
- Grivetti, L. E., 1980, Agricultural development: present and potential role of edible wild plants. Part 2: Sub-Saharan Africa, Report to the Department of State Agency for International Development. p 28
- Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 7
- Irvine,
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
