Setaria megaphylla aka Bigleaf Bristlegrass

Setaria megaphylla is an evergreen grass of the Poaceae family. It lives for years and grows in clumps. Its stout stems stand upright. It is native to tropical and southern Africa. Its range also takes in the western Indian Ocean. It grows on the Arabian Peninsula too. Records place it from Senegal east through Nigeria and Sudan. They extend east to Somalia and south to Angola. Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Madagascar also fall within its native range.

The grass can reach about 10 feet [3 metres] tall. This is a reported size, not a tested garden range. Its culms, or grass stems, can turn woody. They reach about 0.03 feet [0.01 metres] in width. Its broad leaves have a long, narrow shape and clear pleats. The plant keeps its leaves rather than shedding them each year. Wind carries its pollen. People grow new plants from seed. The account gives no time of year for bloom. It gives no details of the flowers either.

This grass grows in damp shade at forest edges. Kew places it in the wet tropical biome, a climate-based zone. These records show where it grows in the wild. They do not show its tested needs in gardens. The source gives no details on how to grow it. It sets no limits for the cold it can bear. It gives no mature spread or measured rate of growth. Its height and clumps shape the plant's form. The evidence does not show its use for garden display. Local people gather wild plants for medicine and to build with.

People use the woody stems to help build huts. In Ghana, they wrap plantains in the broad leaves. People also burn the whole plant to make ash. They use this ash in place of salt. This does not show that fresh leaves or seeds are safe to eat. Folk medicine uses the plant for pain. It also treats complaints of the urinary tract or genitals. Reports list leaf remedies for coughs, swelling, and missed periods. People put crushed leaves on bruises or use them for headaches. These are records of folk uses, not proof of safe treatment.

There are risks where this grass grows or people handle it. Reports from South Africa link its seeds to poisoned small birds. Wilted grass can give off hydrocyanic acid and harm livestock. Dense stands may also shelter tsetse flies. The sources give no records of specific plant diseases. They do not show safe use for people or pets.