Practical
Plants

Eleusine indica

Wire Grass

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Gramineae
Life cycle
annual
Height
0.45 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

Seed - cooked[11][13][2]. The seed is rather small[3], it is sometimes used as a famine food[5]. Used as a millet, it can be cooked whole or ground into a flour and used in making cakes, gruels etc[6]. Young seedlings - raw or cooked and used as a side dish with rice[9][12][1][5][6]. Root - raw[5].

Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Root
Plant part
Seed

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

The whole plant, but especially the root, is sudorific and febrifuge[8]. It is also used in the treatment of liver complaints[8].

Product or use
Diaphoretic
Product or use
Febrifuge

Material uses

The stems are used to make mats, baskets etc[9][12][13]. The plant is suitable for paper manufacture[13].

Product or use
Basketry
Product or use
Paper
Product or use
Weaving

Environment

Range
Tropics. Naturalized in S. Europe[10].
Habitat
Roadsides and waste places[10][13].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out in late spring after the last expected frosts[4][7]. The seed can also be sown in mid to late spring in situ[7], though if the summer is cool it might not ripen its seed[K].

Cultivation

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil in a sunny position[7]. This species is the probable ancestor of E. coracana, a species that is cultivated for its seed. A polymorphic species.

References

  1. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

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  2. Coon. N. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-87857-090-x

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  3. McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-253-28925-4

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  4. Grounds. R. Ornamental Grasses. Christopher Helm 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-7470-1219-9

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  5. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2↩3

  6. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

  7. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

  8. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  9. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  10. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  11. Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health 1973-00-00

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  12. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2

  13. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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