Eleusine coracana Gaertn.

Annual. Culms tufted, robust, erect or ascending, usually branched, 50–120 cm tall. Leaf sheaths glabrous; leaf blades flat, 30–60 × 0.6–1.2 cm, pilose or glabrous; ligule 1–2 mm. Inflorescence subdigitate, racemes 5–20, stout, often incurved at maturity, 5–10 × 0.8–1.5 cm, hairy at base. Spikelets very closely imbricate, ovate, 5–9 mm, florets 6–9, not disarticulating at maturity; glumes lanceolate-oblong, scabrid along the winged keel; lower glume 3-veined, 1.5–3 mm; upper glume with additional veins in keel, 1.8–5 mm; lemmas triangular-ovate, 2.2–4.7 mm, keel 3-veined, scabrid and narrowly winged, subacute; palea narrowly ovate, keels scabrid, winged. Grain yellowish brown, globose, finely striate-punctate. Fl. and fr. May–Sep. 2n = 36.

It is a tropical plant. It is a very drought resistant crop. For good yields it needs good soil drainage and adequate moisture. It cannot stand water-logging. It becomes important where rainfall is 900-1250 mm. It especially suits areas with long hot summers. It needs a minimum temperature above 18°C and does best where temperatures are above 27°C. It grows from sea level to 2400 m altitude in Africa. It is a short day length plant and does best where daylength is 12 hours. In Nepal it is grown to about 2500 m altitude. In Kenya it grows from sea level to 2,400 m altitude. It can grow in arid places. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

The seed are eaten either roasted or ground into flour. This is used for porridge and flat bread. Alcohol is brewed from the grain. Caution: Alcohol is a cause of cancer. The leaves are also edible.

It is grown from seed. Often plants are grown mixed with sorghum or maize. Good soil preparation is needed to reduce weed competition. Seed can be broadcast or drilled. Young plants need to be weeded and thinned. Seed viability drops to about 50 % after 2 years. Spacing of 5 cm apart in rows 30-33 cm apart or 10-12 cm apart in rows 25 cm apart are recommended. About 25-35 kg of seed per hectare are needed if seed are broadcast. 5-10 kg per hectare are required if seed are drilled. Using fertiliser can dramatically increase yield. 125 kg per hectare of sulphate of ammonia when plants are 15 cm high is used in Uganda.