Annual purple fingergrass
Digitaria gayana

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

An annual grass. It grows up to 40 cm high. It can form clumps. The leaf blade is 3-7 cm long by about 0.5 cm wide. The leaf surface is slightly rough. The flowering stalks have 2-3 side stalks with flowers along them. These are 6-13 cm long.

There are about 250 Digitaria species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in the Sahel. It grows in disturbed land on sandy soil. It can grow on coastal sands.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Botswana, Burkina Faso, East Africa, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia, Sahel, Senegal, Southern Africa, Sudan, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Shoots

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Gaji

Synonyms

Digitaria elegantula Mez; Panicum didymostachyum Steud.; Panicum gayanum Kunth;