Black acha, Black fonio
Digitaria iburua

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

A wild millet grass. It is slightly taller than Fonio (Digitaria exilis). It forms loose tufts. It grows 1.4 m high. It has 4 to 10 racemes per inflorescence. The spikelets are dark brown but the grain is white.

There are about 250 Digitaria species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It is cultivated as a cereal in the Hausa region in northern Nigeria. It grows between 400-1,000 m altitude in West Africa. It grows in areas with a rainfall of 900-1,000 mm per year. It grows in the savannah.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sahel, Togo, West Africa

How it is used for food

It is used in the preparation of a couscous locally known as wusu-wusu. It is used to prepare beer.

It is important on the Jos plateau in Nigeria. It is a cultivated plant in some places.

Edible parts

Seeds, cereal

How it is grown

It is often grown intercropped with sorgum or pearl millet. It is also grown mixed with fonio (Digitaria exilis).

Its other names

Local names

Aburu, Afio-warun, Fonio-ga, Iburo, Iburu, Ipoaga

Synonyms

Syntherisma iburua (Stapf) Newbold;