Comb fringe grass, Coast Button Grass
Dactyloctenium aegyptium

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

An annual grass. The stems are slender. They can lie along the ground. These can form roots at the nodes. They can have runners and form mats. It is 15-60 cm high. The edges of the leaf sheaths have small hairs. The leaf blades are flat and 5-20 cm long by 0.2-0.6 cm wide. The surfaces are lumpy/hairy. It tapers to the tip. The flowers spread like fingers on a hand. There are 2-9 flower stalks. They are long and narrow. They often spread out horizontally. The spikes are on one side of the stalk. The tip is bare. The seed grains are about 1 mm across.

There are 13 Dactyloctenium species. Chemical composition (Sudan sample): Protein (crude) = 13.1% (dry). Oil = 1.9% (dry). Fibre (crude) = 4.4% (dry). Ash (insoluble) = 8.3% (dry). Sulphur = .18% (dry). Potassium = 0.39% (dry). Manganese = 0.22% (dry). Calcium = 1.07% (dry). Na = 0.02% (dry). K = 0.30% (dry). Zinc = 69 mg/kg-1 Iron = 121 mg/kg-1 (dry). Mn = 425 kg/kg-1 (dry). Copper = 7 mg/kg-1 (dry). Aluminium = 172 mg/kg-1 (dry). Carbohydrate (soluble): Starch = 46.9% (dry). Sucrose = 1.2% (dry). D-glucose = 0.2%(dry). D-fructose = 1.4% (dry). Amino acids (g [16g N ]-1): Aspartic acid = 6.1g. Threonine = 3.7%. Serine = 4.8g. Glutamic acid = 27.6g. Proline = 7.1g. Glycine = 3.5g. Alanine = 7.5g. Valine = 5.8g. Cysteine = 1.5g. Methionine = 3.2g. Isoleucine = 4.8g. Leucine = 9.9g. Tyrosine = 3.5g. Phenylalanine = 6.8g. Histidine = 2.4g. Lysine = 2.0g. Arginine = 4.2g. Fatty acids (saturated): 14:0 = <0.1g/100g-1. 16:0 = 21.5. 18:0 = 5.2. 22:0 = 0.6. 24:0 = <0.1g/100g-1; (monounsaturated): 16:1 = 0.1. 18:1 = 42.0. 20:1 = 0.4; (polyunsaturated): 18:2 = 28.5. 18:3 = 1.5. (Chemical composition (after Paton & Dunlop (grams per 100g) (Anchu Manchu): Protein = 12.87g. Fat = 2.08g. Carbohydrate (soluble) = 64.03g. Fibre = 4.86g. Ash = 4.58g. Water = 11.58g. Calories = 335. (Mali ): Protein = 8.41g. Fat = 1.45g. Carbohydrate (soluble) = 38.97g. Fibre = 36.95g. Water = 8.48g. Calories = 201.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in disturbed weedy places especially on sandy soils in S China. It grows in tropical to warm temperate regions. It grows on clayey, sandy or black soil along the borders of ponds, swamps and bogs. In West Africa it grows from sea level up to 2,000 m altitude. It grows in alkaline and salty soils. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall between 100-1,580 mm. It can grow in arid places. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Africa, American Samoa, Angola, Anguilla, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, Chad, China, Chuuk, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Djibouti, East Africa, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial-Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Europe, Fiji, FSM, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, Honduras, India, Indochina, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marquesas, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, North America, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Rwanda, Sahel, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Socotra, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, St Helena, St. Kitts and Nevis, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tibet, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The seeds are husked then boiled into a porridge. They are also roasted in a hot pot to soften them. It is then pounded into flour and cooked into porridge. The rhizome or runners are eaten raw. It is used in kreb a grain mixture eaten in Chad and Sudan.

It is a famine food.

Edible parts

Seeds, cereal, rhizome, root

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds.

The seeds are collected during the dry season. The seeds can be stored for several months.

Its other names

Local names

Abou Asabé, Absabe, Abuasabee, Achele, Ahitrombilahy, Anchu Manchu, Bahma, Betombo, Bou, Chikara, Chimbari, Crow’s Foot Grass, Crowfoot, Cuaci, Cunher, Didok-chi, Djinguilano, Duck grass, Eleusine, Ewuduwudu,Father of fingers, Kakuriya, Koreeb, Kreb, Maahui, Madhana, Makara, Makra, Makri, Manchi anchi, Manchi, Mathna, Muttengapilloo, Myet-lay-gwa, Najm, Naparapare, Nasei, Nsonko, Saddexo, Sodee, Tamida, Te utuete, Ukuku

Synonyms

Cynosurus aegypticus L.; Chloris mucronata Michaux; Eleusine aegyptia (L.) Desf,; Eleusine pectinata Moench; Dactyloctenium aegyptiacum Willd.; Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) P. Beauv.; Dactylenium mucronatum (Michx.) Willd.;