Aristida pungens

Desf.

PoaceaeSeeds/Nuts

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Seeds, Cereal

Aristida pungens is a tall perennial plant with deep roots and long leaves. Extremely drought-resistant, drinn grows in areas with as little as 70 mm of rainfall per year. A traditional food plant in Africa, this grain has potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development, and support sustainable landcare.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It grows in sand dunes.

Africa, Central Africa, Chad, Libya, Mauritania, Mediterranean, North Africa, Sahara, West Africa,

Countries: Albania, Angola, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Benin, Botswana, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cyprus, Djibouti, Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Spain, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Greece, Guinea-Bissau, Croatia, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Comoros, Lebanon, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Monaco, Montenegro, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Malta, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Slovenia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, Syria, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

A grass plant. It forms tufts and grows 1.5 m tall. It has long branched rhizomes or underground stems. The leaves are stiff and spiny.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Aristida pungens is a member of the family Poaceae, known in Arabic as drinn.

Other Information

It is a famine food. Enjoyed in some places.

Notes

There are about 330 Aristida species.

Names & Synonyms

Drinn, Eilig

Arthratherum pungens Beauv.

References (6)

Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 41
Fl. atlant. 1:109, t. 35. 1798
Food Composition Tables for use in Africa FAO http://www.fao.org/infoods/directory No. 34
Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 1
National Research Council, 1996, Lost crops of Africa. Volume 1 grains, p 259
Rivera, D. et al, 2006, Gathered Mediterranean Food Plants - Ethnobotanical Investigations and Historical Development, in Heinrich M, Müller WE, Galli C (eds): Local Mediterranean Food Plants and Nutraceuticals. Forum Nutr. Basel, Karger, 2006, vol 59, pp 18–74