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Useful Tropical Plants

Digitaria iburua

Stapf

Poaceae

+ Synonyms

Common Name: Black Fonio

Digitaria iburua

General Information

Black fonio is an annual grass with erect stems 45 - 140cm tall.
The plant is grown as a staple food in some areas of Nigeria, and is often cultivated as a supplementary cereal crop by local people in other areas of Nigeria and in Togo[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References


Range

Western Tropical Africa - Cote D'Ivoire to Cameroon.

Habitat

Not known in the wild

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *  *
HabitAnnual
Height1.00 m
Cultivation StatusCultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Black fonio is a plant of tropical areas, where it is grown at elevations of 400 - 1,300 metres in areas with an annual rainfall of 900 - 1,000mm[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
Though it reputedly grows well on poor soils, it is usually planted on more fertile soils in northern Nigeria[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
]. It is often grown between rows of sorghum or pearl millet, and often as a mixture with D. Exilis[
301
Title
Cornucopia II
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications, California.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-9628087-2-5
Description
The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
].

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked and used as a cereal. It is often ground into a fine powder, or used as a couscous[
301
Title
Cornucopia II
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications, California.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-9628087-2-5
Description
The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
]. It is eaten as a porridge or mixed with the meal of other cereals[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
]. The grain is also eaten cooked like rice or in stews[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown in situ, only just covering the seed. The seed normally germinates 2 - 4 days after sowing and grows rapidly[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Digitaria+iburua>

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