''Cenchrus biflorus'' is a species of
annual
Annual may refer to:
*Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year
** Yearbook
** Literary annual
*Annual plant
*Annual report
*Annual giving
*Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco
*Annuals (band), ...
grass
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...
in the family
Poaceae. Common names include Indian sandbur, ''Bhurat'' or ''Bhurut'' in India, ''Haskaneet'' in
Sudan, ''Aneeti'' in the Arabic dialect of
Mauritania, ''K 'arangiya'' in the
Hausa language of
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
, and ''Ngibbi'' in the
Kanuri language
Kanuri () is a dialect continuum spoken in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, as well as in small minorities in southern Libya and by a diaspora in Sudan.
Background
At the turn of the 21st century, its two main dialects, Manga Kanuri and Yerwa ...
of Nigeria.
["Famine foods: Poaceae or Gramineae" Purdue University Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architectur]
. Accessed December 29, 2007. In the francophone countries of the Sahel, it is usually referred to as "cram-cram" .
Description
''Cenchrus biflorus'' is an annual grass of the family Poaceae with culms between 4–90 cm high and spikelets that are 1-3 per
bur
A bur (also spelled burr) is a seed or dry fruit or infructescence that has hooks or teeth. The main function of the bur is to spread the seeds of the bur plant, often through epizoochory. The hooks of the bur are used to catch on to for exam ...
and 3.6 to 6 mm long. Seeds dispersal is through the attachment of burs to passing cars, animals and human clothes. The burs of the plant can be harmful to animals because it adheres to animal skin and may cause ulcers in mouths of animals.
Distribution
It is common in the
Sahel savannas of Africa, south of the
Sahara. According to a
botanical criteria of geographer
Robert Capot-Rey, the northern limit of ''Cenchrus biflorus'' defines the southern boundary of the Sahara.
It is also found in India, where the seeds are used in
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...
and its
Marwar
Marwar (also called Jodhpur region) is a region of western Rajasthan state in North Western India. It lies partly in the Thar Desert. The word 'maru' is Sanskrit for desert. In Rajasthani languages, "wad" means a particular area. English tra ...
region to make bread, either alone or mixed with
bajra (millet).
Uses
A traditional food plant in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
, this little-known grain has potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable landcare. It is thus considered a famine food in several desertic areas. ''Cenchrus biflorus'' is also a valuable fodder plant for ruminants, particularly at its early stages of development.
[Heuzé V., Tran G., Delagarde R., 2017. Indian sandbur (Cenchrus biflorus). Feedipedia, a programme by INRA, CIRAD, AFZ and FAO. https://www.feedipedia.org/node/483 Last updated on July 17, 2017, 18:11]
References
External links
biflorus
Cereals
{{Panicoideae-stub