Brachiaria villosa

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

An annual grass. It forms loose tufts. It can be creeping and grows 45 cm high. It has a small root system. The spikelet is 2.5 mm long.

It can be a weed problem in crops.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in waste land and disturbed soils in the Sahel in West Africa. It can grow in arid places. It grows in lowland savannah. It can grow on the edges of mangroves and coastal sands.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Asia, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central Africa, China, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Japan, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sahel, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Vietnam, West Africa

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Seeds, cereal, grain

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Bocansole, Funfuri, Gagaji, Garaji

Synonyms

Brachiaria distichophylla (Trin.) Stapf; Panicum villosum Lam.; Urochloa villosa (Lam.) Nguyen;