Eight day grass
Enneapogon desvauxii

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

A herb. It is an annual grass that forms tufts. It has stolons or runners and can keep growing from year to year. It grows 40 cm high. It has a ring of hairs around the nodes. The stalks are usually bent. The leaves are usually short and rolled. They are 3-25 cm long by 1-3 mm wide. The flower groups are 1-5 cm long.

Where it is found

It is a subtropical plant. It often grows in soils over limestone. It can be in shallow and stony soils. It grows between 200-2,200 m above sea level. In Argentina it grows between 900-3,400 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places. In Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Asia, Botswana, Britain, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Central Africa, Central America, Central Asia, Chad, Chile, China, East Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Europe, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritania, Mexico, Middle East, Mongolia, Namibia, Niger, North Africa, North America, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, Sahel, Saudi Arabia, Socotra, Somalia, South Africa, South America, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, UAE, USA, West Africa, Yemen, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The seeds are eaten as a snack.

Edible parts

Seeds, cereal

How it is grown

It grows quickly. The seeds are collected by ants then removed from ant nests.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Enneapogon brachystachyum (Jaub. & Spach) Stapf; Pappophorum brachystachyum Jaub. & Spach; Pappophorum wrightii S. Watson;