Saccharum spontaneum aka Fodder Cane

Saccharum spontaneum is also known as wild sugarcane. This grass lives for many years. It belongs to the grass family, Poaceae. Its native range spans Sicily, Africa, and much of Asia. It also reaches north and northeast Australia. Kew places it in a tropical zone with dry seasons. It grows both wild and in gardens or farms. The RHS lists it as non-native to Britain and Ireland.

This tall grass grows many shoots from its base. Rhizomes, or stems below ground, can spread fast and forcefully. Plants usually reach about 6.6–11.5 feet [2–3.5 metres] tall. In rare cases, they can reach 26 feet [8 metres]. The usual height is thus far below that extreme. Its spread below ground matters as much as its tall canes. The source notes seedheads whose seeds blow away in the breeze. It gives no bloom season or full account of the leaves.

Wild sugarcane grows in the tropics and subtropics. It grows in swamps, salt marshes, deserts, and woods. Other sites include sandy river flats and lower Himalayan slopes. Choose a sunny site to grow it. It grows in most soils and copes with some soil salt. It prefers acid soil with a pH of 5–6. Its wider reported range is pH 4.5 to 7.5. It grows in wet ground and copes with floods in some seasons. The source gives its preferred yearly rainfall as 2,000–3,000 millimetres. It gives no frost limit or hardiness zone.

People eat several parts, though the canes hold little sucrose. This is a type of sugar. Their high fibre content also limits their use for sugar. People eat the soft hearts of young shoots raw or cooked. They may serve the shoots with rice. People also gather very young flower clusters for food. At this stage, leaf sheaths still wrap around them. They taste sweet; people eat them raw, steamed, or roasted. Children peel and chew sweet rhizomes in place of sugarcane. Ash from burned plants also serves in place of salt. Useful Tropical Plants lists no known hazards or uses as medicine. This does not prove safety for each person or pet.

The plant also provides thatch for roofs. Breeders have used it to improve farm-grown sugarcane. It adds vigour, hardiness, and resistance to several major diseases. These uses do not mean the plant has no diseases. The evidence names no pests or diseases that affect it. Its forcefully spreading rhizomes pose the clearest concern in gardens.