Miscanthus ecklonii

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

A grass. A herb. It is an erect grass and can keep growing from year to year. It is a very robust plant. It grows 3 m high. The flowering shoots are 40 cm long. They are brownish. The spikelets have stalks.

There are about 20 Miscanthus species.

Where it is found

It is a Mediterranean climate plant. It grows in soils that are sometimes waterlogged. It can grow in arid places. In Swaziland it grows in the high veld only.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, East Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland

How it is used for food

The rhizome (tubers) is chewed raw. The seeds are used for a meal. They are a famine food.

It is eaten especially by children.

Edible parts

Rhizome, root, seeds, cereal

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Miscanthidium capensis (Nees) Anderson; Miscanthidium erectum; Miscanthidium sorghum (Nees) Stapf; and several others