Rhynchelytrum repens
(Willd.) C. E. Hubbard
Natal grass, Red Natal Grass, Ruby grass
(c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
(c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
(c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves
The leaves are edible.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows in coastal regions. It suits warm places. It often grows on poorer soils.
Africa, Asia, Australia, East Africa, Ghana, India, Iran, Middle East, Mozambique, Myanmar, Norfolk Island, Pakistan, SE Asia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Taiwan, Tanzania, West Africa, Zambia,
How to Identify
A grass which keeps growing from year to year. It develops into a tussock. The leaves are stems are pale green. They sometimes have purple blotches. The lower stems can often lie along the ground and root at the nodes. The flowering heads are deep pink or red. They are in an open arrangement on the top of slender stalks. The mature flower has shining pink or red silky hairs. The plant varies a lot.
Notes
There are 15 Rhynchelytrum species. They grow in tropical Africa.
Names & Synonyms
References (10)
- Ambasta S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 525
- Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1934:110. 1934
- Flora of Australia Volume 49, Oceanic Islands 1, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra. (1994) p 488
- Flora of Pakistan. www.eFloras.org
- Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 98
- Lamp, C & Collet F., 1989, Field Guide to Weeds in Australia. Inkata Press. p 238
- Lamp, C.A., Forbes, S.J. and Cade, J.W., 1990, Grasses of Temperate Australia. Inkata Press. p 252
- Lazarides, M. & Hince, B., 1993, Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia, CSIRO. p 205
- Martin, F.W. & Ruberte, R.M., 1979, Edible Leaves of the Tropics. Antillian College Press, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. p 194
- Vernon, R., 1983, Field Guide to Important Arable Weeds of Zambia. Dept of Agriculture, Chilanga, Zambia. p 122
