bio.wikisort.org - Plant

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 Stapf

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

• 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

---