Honey nectar plants. Forage. fuel. Edible fruit. Ornamental plant.

Annual. Culms erect; 200-300 cm long; with prop roots. Culm-internodes solid. Leaves cauline. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 25-100 cm long; 20-100 mm wide. Monoecious; with male and female spikelets in different inflorescences. Inflorescence composed of racemes; axillary; subtended by a spatheole; enclosed. Spatheole elliptic; herbaceous. Racemes 1; single; multilateral. Rhachis enlarged into a woody cob. Spikelet packing crowded; regular; 4-11 -rowed. Spikelets sunken; in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile; 2 in the cluster. Male inflorescence terminal; unlike female; of racemes along a central axis. Male spikelets distinct from female. Male spikelet glumes 2; wingless; muticous. Male spikelet lemma 3-5 -veined; muticous. Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets obovate; dorsally compressed; persistent on plant. Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets obovate; dorsally compressed; persistent on plant. Basal sterile florets barren; with palea, or without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; membranous; 0 -veined; without midvein; without lateral veins. Fertile florets female. Fertile lemma orbicular; membranous; without keel; 0 -veined. Lodicules absent (female), or 2 (male). Anthers 3. Stigmas 2; terminally exserted; papillose. Styles connate below. Fruits Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; exposed between gaping lemma and palea at maturity. Flowering from September-October.

Cultivated places and farms.