Pilu
Saccharum rufipilum

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

A grass. It grows in clumps and keeps growing from year to year. The stalks are 3.5 m tall and 307 mm across. The leaf sheaths are longer than the internodes. The leaf blades can be flat or rolled and 20-60 cm long by 0.5-1.5 cm wide. The leaves have a dusty powder underneath. The flower panicle is narrowly oblong.

Where it is found

It is a subtropical plant. It grows on dry grassy and rocky hillsides between 1,300-2,600 m above sea level in China. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, Pakistan, SE Asia

How it is used for food

The stems are chewed, mainly for moisture.

Edible parts

Stems

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Erianthus rufipilus (Steud.) Griseb.; and others