Arundo donax (Bekele-Tesemma, 2007)
| Arundo donax (Bekele-Tesemma, 2007) |
Arundo donax Poaceae Indigenous
habit
leaves and flowers
Common names
- English: Reed grass
- Amargna: Shembeko, Meka
- Gumuzgna: Weysha
- Oromugna: Shambako
Ecology
Grows in dense clumps by water courses even in Dry Kolla agroclimatic zone, but most common in Moist and Wet Kolla as well as in Dry, Moist and Wet Weyna Dega agroclimatic zones, up to 2,400 m.
Uses
Furniture (local), fodder, fences, spinning tools, grain stores, thatching, basketry.
Description
A leafy perennial grass 2–6 m high, usually in dense clumps. Stems or culms grow up from a thick, knotty underground stem or rhizome. Stems are hollow and some may branch.
- LEAVES: As in many grasses, the leaf base or sheath surrounds the stem. Leaf blades are spaced regularly around stem, each one 30–50 cm x 5–7 cm wide with a long pointed tip.
- FLOWERS: This grass does not normally flower in Ethiopia. Elsewhere, upright flowering heads reach up to 60 cm and produce typical grass seed.
Propagation
Rhizomes.
Seed
- Treatment: Not applicable
- Storage: Not applicable
Management
It multiplies naturally on favourable sites. Once you plant the off-set cut that has the rhizome, cut back the rhizomes to control growth.
Remarks
The grass is widely cultivated in Ethiopia, especially for thatching and fencing. The stem is used to make the local spinning tool, Ankerit and a musical instrument called ‘Washint’ in Amharic. Dry stems are used to build grain stores. It is used for making the musical instrument called ‘Washint’ in Amharic.