Grootfontein bristlegrass
Aristida stipoides

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

An annual grass. It is a robust tufted plant. It grows 1.5 m high. The stems usually have 3 nodes. The leaf blade is 30 cm long by 0.4 cm wide. The flower panicle is 50 cm long. It can be nodding.

There are about 330 Aristida species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows along roadsides across the Sahel. It can grow in arid places. In Kenya it grows between 1,200-1,350 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Chad, East Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sahel, Senegal, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The inner stems are sweet and are sucked.

They are eaten mainly by children.

Edible parts

Leaves, cereal, seeds, stem, pith

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Aristida amplissima Trin. & Rupr.; Aristida fontismagni Schweickerdt; Aristida gracilima Oliv.; Aristida lamarkii (Roem. & Schult.) Steud.;