Botanical Name: Saccharum bengalense
Family: Poaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Poales
Genus: Saccharum
Species: S. bengalense
Synonyms: munj; munja; Saccharum bengalense; Saccharum munja
Common Names: Munj sweetcane, Baruwa sugarcane or Baruwa grass, Ban Kashia.
Habitat: Saccharum bengalense is native to northeastern India, particularly in Assam within the Terai-Duar grasslands in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Description:
Saccharum bengalense is a tall caespitose perennial sugarcane bamboo grass, culms up to 4 m high. The plant is colored pinkish-green. Leaf-blades up to 90 cm long, 3-10 mm wide, flat or markedly channelled, the midrib occupying the greater part of the width, glaucous. Panicle 20-75 cm long, the peduncle glabrous; racemes 2-4(-5) cm long, considerably shorter than the supporting branches, the internodes and pedicels hirsute with hairs up to 7 mm long. Spikelets slightly heteromorphous, 3.8-5.5 mm long, the callus bearded with whitish or greyish hairs up to 2.5 mm long; glumes equal, membranous, lower glume of sessile spikelet hairy on the back, the upper glume glabrous, both glumes of pedicelled spikelet hairy, the hairs at least 4 mm long, often up to 9 mm; lower lemma oblong-elliptic, hairy on the back; upper lemma ovate-lanceolate, ciliate on the margins, acute or very shortly awned, the awn not visible beyond the glumes.
Uses:
It is a food source for animals such as the Indian rhinoceros and the pygmy hog.
Medicinal Use: The straw of the plants is used as thatching materials for construction of huts by the Rabhas
Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccharum_bengalense
https://www.audioenglish.org/dictionary/saccharum_bengalense.htm
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=250072300
http://www.crdeepjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Vol-3-3-1-IJBAS.pdf
