Common Name:

General Information

Eragrostis nindensis is a herbaceous perennial, clump-forming grass with a short oblique rhizome; the erect, unbranched culms are up to 90cm tall[].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Africa - DR Congo, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, S. Africa.

Habitat

Granite sandveld and wooded short grassland, watershed grassland, seasonal or permanently wet dambo grassland; usually in sandy soils, Kalahari Sand and calcareous pans, on rocky outcrops, granite domes and seepage areas over rock, to 2,000 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.75 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

It is a so-called ‘resurrection plant’, able to survive near-complete desiccation of its tissues. It retains mobile water in its leaves even when dried naturally to less than 20% water content. It also disassembles chloroplasts when conditions are too dry to maintain photosynthesis in order to avoid light-induced oxidative stress. Young seedlings, however, are sensitive to drought[].

Edible Uses

Seed[]. Sometimes eaten as a cereal[]. Very small, generally less than 1.5mm in diameter[].

Medicinal

The young leaves are sucked to treat colds[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ, only just covering the seed. Germination is usually very quick and free.

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