Drop seed grass, Salt grass
Sporobolus spicatus
Family: Poaceae
What it is like
A herb. It is a spiny grass. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 20-30 cm high. It forms short tufts. It has runners and forms mats. The leaves are pale green and narrow. The flowers are in a cylinder shaped group. This can be 8.5 cm long and is pale yellow.
There are about 160 Sporobolus species. They are mainly in the tropics and subtropics. It has a C4 pathway.
Where it is found
In Bahrain it grows in sandy or gravelly soils. It can tolerate alkaline soils. It can tolerate salty soils. It grows in the drier parts of Africa. It can fix sand dunes. It grows from sea level to 2,600 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Algeria, Angola, Bahrain, Botswana, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central Africa, Chad, Congo, Djibouti, East Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mediterranean, Middle East, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Socotra, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, UAE, West Africa, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
How it is used for food
It is a famine food.
Edible parts
Seeds, cereal, grain
How it is grown
Its other names
Local names
Akrich, Beurgu, Defera, Halfa, Izigzig, Ramaas