Digitaria iburua, commonly known as iburu, is a grass species native to west and west-central tropical Africa,[1] which is cultivated as a grain crop known as black fonio.[2]
| Digitaria iburua | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Subfamily: | Panicoideae |
| Genus: | Digitaria |
| Species: | D. iburua
|
| Binomial name | |
| Digitaria iburua | |
Iburu (D. iburua) is closely related to white fonio (D. exilis), a cereal that is more widely grown across West Africa. However, Iburu is taller than fonio, but has smaller grain than fonio. This makes harvesting the grains very labor-intensive. Iburu is mainly grown in the Middle Belt of central Nigeria, as well as in Zinder, Niger.[3]
See also
edit- Digitaria compacta, raishan, used as a grain crop in northeast India
- Digitaria exilis, white fonio, also used as a grain crop in West Africa
- Digitaria longiflora, the wild progenitor of Digitaria exilis
- Digitaria sanguinalis, considered a weed around the world, but traditionally used as a grain crop in Europe
References
edit- ^ W.D. Clayton; M. Vorontsova; K.T. Harman; H. Williamson. "GrassBase". Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ^ Prance, G.; Nesbitt, M. (2012). The Cultural History of Plants. Taylor & Francis. p. 55. ISBN 9781135958114.
- ^ Blench, Roger (2006). Archaeology, language, and the African past. Altamira Press. ISBN 9780759104655.