Swamp millet
Isachne albens
Family: Poaceae
What it is like
A low growing millet grass. It keeps growing from year to year and forms tillers. It grows 30-175 cm long. The leaves are narrowly sword shaped. There can be bristles underneath the leaf. The leaves are 4-26 cm long and 0.5-2.5 cm wide. The flowering shoots are at the top and widely branching.
There are about 80-100 Isachne species.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It grows in open places in the mountains. In Java it grows between 500 m and the high mountains. It grows in shaded and moist locations. In southern China it grows between 500-2,600 m above sea level. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, SE Asia, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet, Vietnam
How it is used for food
The tender tops are eaten with rice. They are eaten raw.
Edible parts
Shoots
How it is grown
Plants can be grown by dividing the clump. They can also be grown from seed that have had a dry dormant period.
Its other names
Local names
Chukut kakasuran