Kans grass
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009) |
| Kans grass | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| (unranked): | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Genus: | Saccharum |
| Species: | S. spontaneum |
| Binomial name | |
| Saccharum spontaneum |
|
Kans grass (Saccharum spontaneum) is a grass native to south Asia. It is a perennial grass, growing up to three meters in height, with spreading rhizomatous roots.
In the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands, a lowland ecoregion at the base of the Himalaya range in Nepal, India and Bhutan, Kans grass quickly colonises exposed silt plains created each year by the retreating monsoon floods, forming almost pure stands on the lowest portions of the floodplain. Kans grasslands are an important habitat for the Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis). In Nepal, Kans grass is harvested to thatch roofs or fence vegetable gardens.
Elsewhere, Kans grass' ability to quickly colonize disturbed soil has allowed it to become an invasive species that takes over croplands and pasturelands.
Saccharum spontaneum has a considerable number of regional names in South Asia, for instance 'Kash' being common in Bengali. Some of these are given, along with Ayurvedic medical properties by Pankaj Oudhia (2001-3)
[edit] References
| This Poaceae article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
