Translate this page:
Summary
Physical Characteristics
![]()
![]()
Sporobolus indicus is a PERENNIAL. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Wind.
Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.
UK Hardiness Map
US Hardiness Map
Synonyms
Plant Habitats
Cultivated Beds;
Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Seed
Edible Uses:
Seed - raw or cooked. It can be ground into a flour[46].
References More on Edible Uses
Medicinal Uses
Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Antiinflammatory Blood tonic Contraceptive VD
The plant is used to enrich the blood, reduce swellings and correct gonorrhoea[218]. It is considered to be an antifertility drug in some countries[218].
References More on Medicinal Uses
The Bookshop: Edible Plant Books
Our Latest books on Perennial Plants For Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens in paperback or digital formats.
Edible Tropical Plants
Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
More
Edible Temperate Plants
Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
More
More Books
PFAF have eight books available in paperback and digital formats. Browse the shop for more information.
Shop Now
Other Uses
Fibre
A fibre is obtained from the leaves[156].
Special Uses
References More on Other Uses
Cultivation details
Succeeds in any well drained soil in a sunny position[200]. There is some confusion over the naming of this plant, some sources say S. indicus is an annual grass found in Asia and naturalized in S. Europe[50], others say it is a perennial native to S. Europe[1, 46]. Botanists have divided this species into a number of subspecies as detailed below:- S. indicus capensis Engl. (Syn S. africanus (Poir.)Robyns.&Tournay. S. capensis (P.Beauv.)Kunth. Native to Africa. S. indicus flaccidus (Roem.&Schult.)Veldkamp. (Syn S. diandrus (Retz.)P.Beauv.) Native to western Asia and Australia. S. indicus indicus. (Syn S. poiretii auct.) Native to North and South America. S. indicus pyramidalis (P.Beauv.)Veldkamp. (Syn S. jacquemontii Kunth., S. pyramidalis P.Beauv.) Native to Africa, the Arabian Peninsular, North and South America.
References Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information
Temperature Converter
Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:
Fahrenheit:
The PFAF Bookshop
Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).
Shop Now
Plant Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer if they have grown sufficiently. Otherwise, grow them on in a greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out in late spring of the following year. Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.
Other Names
If available other names are mentioned here
Native Range
TEMPERATE ASIA: Yemen, China (Fujian Sheng, Guangdong Sheng, Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu, Guizhou Sheng, Shaanxi Sheng, Sichuan Sheng, Xizang Zizhiqu, Yunnan Sheng), Korea, Japan (Honshu, Kyushu, Ryukyu Islands, Shikoku), Taiwan TROPICAL ASIA: India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Indochina, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines NORTHERN AMERICA: United States (New Jersey, Missouri (southeast), Oklahoma (southeast), Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland (east), North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas), Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Durango, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Chiapas, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Jalisco, México, Michoacán de Ocampo, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Tabasco, Tlaxcala, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Yucatán) SOUTHERN AMERICA: Hispaniola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Montserrat, Martinique, United States (Puerto Rico), St. Vincent and Grenadines, Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay PACIFIC: Micronesia, Palau, United States (Guam, Northern Mariana Islands) AFRICA: Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte D‘Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo, Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Eswatini, South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius
Weed Potential
Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section.
Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :
Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.
Expert comment
Author
(L.)R.Br.
Botanical References
50154
Links / References
For a list of references used on this page please go here
Readers comment
© 2010, Plants For A Future. Plants For A Future is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Charity No. 1057719, Company No. 3204567.