Tripidium bengalense

Tripidium bengalense, synonym Saccharum bengalense,^[1] with the common names munj sweetcane,^[2] baruwa sugarcane or baruwa grass, is a plant of the genus Tripidium native to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northern India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar.^[1][3]

Tripidium bengalense
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Subfamily:	Panicoideae
Genus:	Tripidium
Species:	T. bengalense
Binomial name
Tripidium bengalense (Retz.) H.Scholz[1]
Synonyms[1]
Erianthus bengalensis (Retz.) Bharadw., Basu Chaudh. & Sinha Erianthus ciliaris (Andersson) Jeswiet Erianthus elegans (Jeswiet) Rümke Erianthus munja (Roxb.) Jeswiet Erianthus sara (Roxb.) Rümke Imperata sara (Roxb.) Schult. Ripidium bengalense (Retz.) Grassl Saccharum bengalense Retz. Saccharum ciliare Andersson Saccharum elegans (Jeswiet) Veldkamp Saccharum munja Roxb. Saccharum sara Roxb.

A primary native distribution area is northeastern India, particularly in Assam within the Terai-Duar grasslands in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Description

This is a small species of sugarcane bamboo grass, growing 2–3 feet (0.61–0.91 m) in height. The plant is colored pinkish-green.

It is a food source for animals such as the Indian rhinoceros and the pygmy hog.

Uses

Growing along a river bank

The species is used as a raw material for thatching roofs. It is used for making baskets. Its fibre is used for making ropes. Itis one of the ecologically successful native colonizer of abandoned mines. It forms pure patches on rocky habitats with skeletal soils. It forms extensive root network that binds the soil/pebbles and forms tall thick clumps with high biomass tufts. It is used by low income locals for making ropes, hand fans, baskets, brooms, mat, hut and shields for crop protection. It is a choice species for stabilizing erosion-prone rugged slopes and their conversion into biologically productive sites of high socio-economic values.^[4]