Bark
It produces vertical, solid, hard, and smooth culms (grass stems) up to 1 cm in diameter
Thysanolaena latifolia
Syn. Melica latifolia
IUCN Red List
Not Evaluated
(NE)
Local name
- Tiger Grass (English)
- Phool Jhadu (Hindi)
- Phul jhanta (Bengali)
Herb type
Evergreen
Deciduous
Family: Poaceae
3m
Indicated uses
Medicinal
Edible
Ornamental
Avenue
Other
Flowering & fruiting
Flowering
Fruiting
Key characters
Leaves
Broadly lance-shaped, leathery, and tough (coriaceous), measuring 30 to 65 cm long and up to 7 cm wide. They are heart-shaped at the base, tapering to a fine point with rough, sand-papery edges
Flower
Small, minute spikelets loosely arranged in gigantic, feathery, multi-branched purplish-brown to golden panicles that can stretch up to 60 cm long.
Fruit / Seeds
Small, oblong grains called a caryopsis (roughly 0.5 mm in size).
Did you know?
The name Thysanolaena derives from Greek words meaning “fringe” and “cloak,” referring to its feathery inflorescence. Thysanolaena latifolia is the sole recognized species of this monotypic genus.
Distribution
Tropical & Subtropical Asia, Brazil , Tanzania, California