Bread grass, Arm grass, Common signal grass
Brachiaria brizantha

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

A grass. It is stout and rigid and grows 1.3 m high. It forms tussocks. The leaves are long and tapering. They have thick rough edges. There are up to 15 flower heads per stalk. The seed heads have seeds on one side. These heads are 8 cm long. The spikelets are 4-6 mm long.

There are about 100 Brachiaria species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in hot, arid places. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall above 50 mm. It can grow in semi-desert and on terminate mounds. It grows between 50-2,400 m above sea level. It can tolerate shade. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Asia, Australia, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Ecuador, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guyana, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Middle East, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nigeria, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, SE Asia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, Venezuela, West Africa, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

Seeds are sun dried, winnowed, ground into flour then cooked into a thick porridge.

It is a famine food.

Edible parts

Seeds, cereal

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Kifuta, Nhacancine, Zinyaruzoka

Synonyms

Panicum brizanthum Hochst.; Urochloa brizantha (A. Rich.) R. D. Webster;