Desmostachya bipinnata

Desmostachya bipinnata
	Desmostachya bipinnata (right plant)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Genus:	Desmostachya
Species:	D. bipinnata
Binomial name
	Desmostachya bipinnata; (L.) Stapf
Synonyms
	Briza bipinnata L.; Eragrostis bipinnata (L.) K.Schum.; Eragrostis cynosuriodes (Retz.) P.Beauv.; Poa cynosuriodes Retz.; Stapfiola bipinnata (L.) Kuntze; Uniola bipinnata (L.) L. (basionym);

Desmostachya bipinnata, commonly known in English by the names Halfa grass, big cordgrass, and salt reed-grass,^[5] is an Old World perennial grass, long known and used in human history. In India it is known by many names, including: daabh, darbha, kusha, etc.^[6]

Distribution

Desmostachya bipinnata is native to northeast and west tropical, and northern Africa (in Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan, and Tunisia); and countries in the Middle East, and temperate and tropical Asia (in Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand).^[2]

Uses

Medicinal

In folk medicine, Desmostachya bipinnata has been used variously to treat dysentery and menorrhagia, and as a diuretic.^[7]

Religious

Desmostachya bipinnata has long been used in various traditions as a sacred plant. According to early Buddhist accounts, it was the material used by Buddha for his meditation seat when he attained enlightenment.^[8] The plant was mentioned in the Rig Veda for use in sacred ceremonies and also as a seat for priests and the gods.^[9] Kusha grass is specifically recommended by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita as part of the ideal seat for meditation.^[10]

Other

In arid regions, Desmostachya bipinnata has been used as fodder for livestock.^[2]

Weed information

In agricultural, Desmostachya bipinnata is a weed commonly found in wheat crops.^[11]

Notes

^ Desmostachya bipinnata was published in W. T. Thiselton-Dyer's Flora Capensis; being a systematic description of the plants of the Cape Colony, Caffraria, & port Natal. London 7(4): 632. 1900 "Plant Name Details for Desmostachya bipinnata". IPNI. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c GRIN (August 31, 2000). "Desmostachya bipinnata information from NPGS/GRIN". Taxonomy for Plants. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland: USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
^ Uniola bipinnata, the basionym for D. bipinnata, was originally described and published in Species Plantarum ed. 2, 1:104. 1762 GRIN (August 31, 2000). "Uniola bipinnata information from NPGS/GRIN". Taxonomy for Plants. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland: USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
^ "Desmostachya bipinnata". Flora of Pakistan. eFloras. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
^ Martha Modzelevich. "Desmostachya bipinnata". Flowers in Israel. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
^ "Daabh". Flowers of India. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
^ James A. Duke. "Desmostachya bipinnata (POACEAE)". Green Farmacy Garden, Fulton, Maryland: Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
^ Professor Paul Williams (2006). Buddhism: Critical Concepts in Religious Studies (Critical Concepts in Religious Studies S.). New York: Routledge. p. 262. ISBN 0-415-33226-5.
^ Griffith, Ralph T. H. (1896). The Hymns of the Rigveda, Volume 1. p. 4.
^ "Establishing a firm seat for himself, In a clean place, Not too high, Not too low, covered with cloth, and antelope skin, and kusha grass" (B.G. VI:11) Smith, Huston; Chapple, Christopher; Sargeant, Winthrop (2009). The Bhagavad Gita (Excelsior Editions). Excelsior Editions/State University of New Yo. p. 282. ISBN 1-4384-2842-1.
^ Ahmad, R.; Shaikh, A.S. (January–June 2003). "Common Weeds of Wheat and Their Control" (PDF). Pakistan Journal of Water Resources. 7 (1): 73–76. Retrieved June 15, 2011.