Panicum heterostachyum
Hackel
Heartleaf grass
(c) Nyiko Gift Mutileni, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Nyiko Gift Mutileni, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Nyiko Gift Mutileni, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Rhizome, Root
The rhizomes are eaten as a famine food.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. It grows in bushland and savanna throughout tropical Africa. It grows from 30-1,700 m altitude. It grows in hot arid places. It grows in dry sandy soils and in poorly drained soils. It can tolerate shade. It can grow in arid places.
Africa, Angola, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burundi, Caribbean, Central Africa, Colombia, Congo, East Africa, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guyana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Sahel, Senegal, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
How to Identify
An annual grass. It grows 20-80 cm long. The leaf blade is 8-12 cm long by 10-25 mm wide. They are narrowly oval. The flower panicle is 4-15 cm long. It has many branches. The spikelets are 1.5 mm long.
Medicinal Uses
The rhizomes are used traditionally as a famine food.
Other Information
It is a famine food.
Names & Synonyms
Kansenye
References (5)
- Flora Zambesiaca. http://apps.kew.org/efloras
- Fowler, D. G., 2007, Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses. Kew. p 71
- Newman, 1970,
- Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 24
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1999). Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL) database. Published on the Internet; http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ceb/sepasal/internet [Accessed 3rd June 2011]
