Green Summer grass, Arm grass millet
Brachiaria subquadripara

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

An annual or short lived millet grass. The culms are slender. They are straggling and root at the nodes. It is 20-60 cm tall. The leaf blades are sword shaped and 4-15 cm long by 0.4-1 cm wide. They have thickened edges. The sheaths are loose and longer than the internodes. The flowering stalk has 3-4 widely spaced racemes. These are 2-5 cm long. The spikelets are plump and pointed. They are 3 mm or longer. The spikelets are on one side only.

There are about 100 Brachiaria species. This one can be a troublesome weed.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in hill slopes and grassy places in S China. It grows on sand plains. It grows in dry soils. It grows between 1-1,300 m above sea level. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall above 300 mm. It can grow in arid places. In Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, American Samoa, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Central Africa, Central America, China, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Fiji, Ghana, Guam, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, New Caledonia, Nigeria, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Reunion, Rotuma, Samoa, SE Asia, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Africa

How it is used for food

The seeds are ground to a paste and cooked.

Edible parts

Seeds, cereal

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Atuta, Si sheng bei xing cao

Synonyms

Urochloa subquadripara (Trin.) Hitchc.; Panicum subquadriparum Trin.; Panicum miliiforme J. & C. Presl; Brachiaria miliiformis (J. & C. Presl) Chase;