Herb: Wire Grass


Latin name: Eleusine indica


Synonyms: Cynosurus indicus


Family: Gramineae (Grass Family)



Medicinal use of Wire Grass:

The whole plant, but especially the root, is sudorific and febrifuge. It is also used in the treatment of liver complaints.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Annual


Height:
45 cm
(1 foot)

Flowering:
July to
August

Habitat of the herb:

Roadsides and waste places.

Edible parts of Wire Grass:

Seed - cooked. The seed is rather small, it is sometimes used as a famine food. Used as a millet, it can be cooked whole or ground into a flour and used in making cakes, gruels etc. Young seedlings - raw or cooked and used as a side dish with rice. Root - raw.

Other uses of the herb:

The stems are used to make mats, baskets etc. The plant is suitable for paper manufacture.

Propagation of Wire Grass:

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out in late spring after the last expected frosts. The seed can also be sown in mid to late spring in situ, though if the summer is cool it might not ripen its seed.

Cultivation of the herb:

Roadsides and waste places.

Known hazards of Eleusine indica:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.