Panicum colonum
Uses
India: a wild grain which is ground into flour, sometimes being mixed with Zea mays, L. or gram (Phaseolus mungo, L. [syn. Phaseolus aureus, Roxb. {FABACEAE}]), baked into bread, and eaten with chutney, onions, forest fruits, or boiled leaves. The seeds are sun-dried, then rammed or threshed to remove the husks. When roughly ground (Bhil: Kodri), it is cooked like rice, in salted water, and eaten with legumes, or chutney, and called by the Bhils Rab or Ghena. It is considered to be a ‘cool’ food.
Additional Information
- Name Authority:
- L.
- Vernaculars:
- Bhils: Champaran. Bombay Presidency - Khandesh district, Shirpur: Shama, Sarwak, Shamak, Shama millet, Wild rice, Jungle rice,Tan; Surat district Bardoli: Zari ; Broach district, Anklesvar: Samo; Kaira district, Matar: Sama.
- Misc:
- Chemical composition (after Paton & Dunlop) (grams per 100g): Protein = 10.68g. Fat = 5.20g. Carbohydrate (soluble) = 51.16g. Fibre = 14.68g. Ash = 7.35g. Water = 10.93g. Calories = 301. Soil type favored by plant: black, cultivable; swampish in rainy season, stream verges.