Wild sorghum
Sorghum purpureosericeum

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

A robust annual millet grass. The stalks are 2 m tall. The nodes have white hairs. The leaf blades are 50 cm long and 1 cm wide. The flowers are branched panicles. The seeds are smaller than rice grains.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows along rivers and near lakes. In Tanzania it grows between 500-1,500 m above se level in areas with a rainfall between 1,000-1,300 mm.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Burkina Faso, East Africa, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa

How it is used for food

The seeds are eaten as a staple and taste like rice. The heads are collected and threshed and winnowed and the seed boiled like rice or ground into flour.

Edible parts

Seeds, cereal

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seed.

Seeds are collected in the dry season.

Its other names

Local names

Mtama mwitu

Synonyms

Andropogon pappii Gand.; Andropogon purpureosericeus Hochst. ex A. Rich Sarga purpureosericea (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Spangler; Sorghum deccanense Stapf. ex Raizada; Sorghum dimidiatum Stapf.;