Changes

Per 100 g dry matter the grain of ''Oryza punctata'' from Sudan contains: crude protein 13.9 g, fat 4.0 g, soluble carbohydrate 74.8 g, crude fibre 2.9 g, Ca 40 mg, Mg 270 mg, P 550 mg, Fe 16.8 mg and Zn 3.9 mg. The essential amino acid composition per 100 g protein (16 g N) is: lysine 3.6 g, methionine 2.2 g, phenylalanine 5.2 g, threonine 3.4 g, valine 5.9 g, leucine 8.6 g and isoleucine 4.1 g (Salih & Nour, 1992).

Annual or perennial grass 50–120(–150) cm tall, growing in tufts; stem (culm) erect or geniculately ascending, branched, striate, glabrous. Leaves alternate, simple and entire; leaf sheath often spongy, distinctly striate; ligule 3–10 mm long, rounded, truncate or somewhat acute; blade linear, 15–45 cm × 0.5–2.5 cm, acuminate, pale green or rarely glaucous, glabrous, usually slightly rough on both surfaces. Inflorescence a terminal panicle 15–35 cm × 3–17 cm, loose, erect or somewhat drooping, with spreading or ascending branches. Spikelet asymmetrically elliptical-oblong or broadly oblong, (5–)5.5–6.5 mm long, deciduous, greyish green or glaucous, 3-flowered but 2 lowest florets reduced to sterile lemmas 1–1.5 mm long; glumes reduced to a membranous, whitish narrow rim; lemma of fertile floret slightly shorter than spikelet, boat-shaped, leathery, hairy or rarely glabrous, with pale yellow slender flexuous awn (1–)2–7.5 cm long; palea slightly shorter than lemma and much narrower, acute or tapering into a short point; lodicules 2; stamens 6; ovary superior, with 2 plumose blackish stigmas. Fruit an oblong caryopsis (grain) 4–5 mm long, glabrous, pale brown.