Entry From
Burkill, H.M. 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol 2
Common names
SENEGAL: MANDING-BAMBARA dãzo (JB) fodod (JB) mbombod (JB) yégalé (JB) WOLOF cicca (JLT) khat (JLT) sèl a baré (JB) MALI: MANDING-BAMBARA néanso (A.Chev.) ntaso (A.Chev.) yé-yalé (A.Chev.) UPPER VOLTA: FULA-FULFULDE (Upper Volta) bodooko (K&T) MOORE gonyamba (A.Chev.) NIGER: FULA-FULFULDE (Niger) sel-selnnde (ABM) HAUSA jan бako (Bartha) SONGHAI sáarí (pl. -o) (D&C) NIGERIA: BIROM càraà vyεp from vyεp: rat of Gambia (LB) kò a varietal name (LB) FULA-FULFULDE (Nigeria) cingaaji (J&D) cobe (JMD) kalawal (JMD) wuδeho (JMD) HAUSA gamba (Kennedy; Grove) к̉yáára, к̉yaáràa (auctt.) к̉yáárar bisháára a varietal name; the same as càraàvyεp of Birom (LB) KAMBARI-SALKA ggyàarâ (pl. ìigy-) (RB) TIV ijinga i myian (JMD) YORUBA (Ilorin) sẹgẹ (Ward)
Uses
Agri-horticulture: fodder Products: building materials Products: pulp and paper Products: household, domestic and personal items Products: containers, food-wrappers
Description
A tufted perennial grass with culms 1–3 m tall; a typical savanna grass of waysides and disturbed places from lowlands to montane elevations; common throughout the Region from Mauritania to N and S Nigeria, and generally dispersed elsewhere over tropical Africa and into S Africa, Madagascar, and introduced to tropical America.The grass is eaten by cattle with relish while growth is young (1, 2a,b, 3, 8, 10, 12, 13). The spikelets are pungently bristled which injure the muzzle of stock and thus inhibit browsing when in flower. Cattle have, however, been observed in Ghana searching for the foliage down below inflorescence level (4). Camels in Niger do not graze it at all (13).The haulm is ubiquitously used when mature for thatching (1, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 16). The culms are commonly used for making matting after the spikelets have fallen (8). They are much used for making zaanaa matting to enclose a compound (11, 15), the different stages of which have acquired a special vocabulary (5, 9): An unit piece is approximately 1.8 m wide by 2 m long, the culms being bound together by interwoven culms about 30 cm from the top and bottom. Units are then tied serially to make as long a screen or fence as may be required affixed vertically to a support. Dagaari of Ghana make characteristically square baskets using the younger stems (11).The culms have some value for producing paper-pulp (1, 8, 16).Chromosome number is reported as 2n = 40 (6).
References
References:1. Adam, 1954: 93, as Hyparrhenia dissoluta CE Hubb. 2a. Adam, 1966, a: as Hyparrhenia dissoluta. 2b. ibid. 1966, a: as H. rupechtii. 3. Baumer, 1975: 102, as Hyparrhenia dissoluta (Nees) CE Hubbard. 4. Beal 49, K. 5. Blench, 1985: as Hyparrhenia dissoluta. 6. Celarier A-3046, K. 7. Dalziel 265, K. 8. Dalziel, 1937: 529, as Hyparrhenia dissoluta CE Hubbard. 9. Furniss, 1990. 10. Harrison 1035, 1042, K. 11. Irvine 4699, K. 12. Kennedy FHI .8015, K. 13. Maliki, 1981: 153, sp. no. 62. 14. Michelmore 692, K. 15. Ward 0061, K. 16. Watt & Breyer-Brandwijk, 1962: 493, as Hyparrhenia dissoluta Hubb.