Taxon:  Saccharum spontaneum L.



Summary
Genus:
Saccharum
Family:
Poaceae (alt. Gramineae)
Subfamily:
Panicoideae
Tribe:
Andropogoneae
Subtribe:
Saccharinae
Nomen number:
32625
Place of publication:
Mant. pl. 2:183.  1771
Verified:
07/02/2009 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
298 (290  active, 269  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Saccharum spontaneum L. subsp. aegyptiacum (Willd.) Hack. (0 active accession[s])
Saccharum spontaneum L. subsp. spontaneum (0 active accession[s])
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Images (1 total. Click on image for more.)
Disseminule drawings\; A: Spikelet; B-C: floret in two views

Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
  2. Ali, S. I. & S. M. H. Jafri, eds. 1976-. Flora of Libya.
  3. APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
  4. Babu, C. R. 1977. Herbaceous flora of Dehra Dun.
  5. Berding, N. & B. T. Roach. 1987. Chapter 4. Germplasm collection, maintenance, and use. In: Heinz, D. (ed.). Sugarcane improvement through breeding. Developm. Crop Sci. 11:143-210. Note: Elsevier.
  6. Bhandari, M. M. 1978. Flora of the Indian desert.
  7. Bor, N. L. 1960. The grasses of Burma, Ceylon, India, and Pakistan.
  8. Boulos, L. 1999-. Flora of Egypt
  9. Daniels, J. et al. 1991. The taxonomic status of Saccharum barberi Jeswiet and S. sinense Roxb. Sugar Cane 1991:11-16.
  10. Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon.
  11. Erhardt, W. et al. 2002. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 17. Auflage
  12. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
  13. FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
  14. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
  15. Frohlich, D. & A. Lau. 2014. New plant records for the Hawaiian Islands 2012–2013. Bishop Mus. Occas. Pap. 115:12.
  16. Ghazanfar, S. A. 1992. An annotated catalogue of the vascular plants of Oman. Scripta Botanica Belgica 2
  17. Grierson, A. J. C. & D. J. Long. 1984-. Flora of Bhutan including a record of plants from Sikkim.
  18. Grivet, L. et al. 2004. A review of recent molecular genetics evidence for sugarcane evolution and domestication. Ethnobot. Res. Applic. 2:9-17.
  19. Hara, H. et al. 1978-1982. An enumeration of the flowering plants of Nepal.
  20. Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
  21. Hodkinson, T. R. et al. 2002. Phylogenetics of Miscanthus, Saccharum and related genera (Saccharinae, Andropogoneae, Poaceae) based on DNA sequences from ITS nuclear ribosomal DNA and plastid trnL intron and trnL-F intergenic spacers. J. Pl. Res. 115:381-392.
  22. Holm, L. et al. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds
  23. Holm, L. et al. 1997. World weeds: natural histories and distribution John Wiley & Sons, New York, New York. 697.
  24. How, F. C., ed. 1956. Flora of Kwangchow.
  25. Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
  26. Koyama, T. 1987. Grasses of Japan and its neighboring regions
  27. Matthew, K. M. 1983. The flora of the Tamilnadu Carnatic.
  28. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
  29. Migahid, A. M. 1988-1990. Flora of Saudi Arabia, ed. 3.
  30. Mouterde, P. 1966-. Nouvelle flore du Liban et de la Syrie.
  31. Mukherjee, S. K. 1954. Revision of the genus Saccharum Linn. Bull. Bot. Soc. Bengal 8:145.
  32. Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970-. Flora of [West] Pakistan.
  33. Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
  34. Plant Protection and Quarantine Office. United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Federal noxious weed list (on-line resource).
  35. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  36. Price, S. 1957. Cytological studies in Saccharum and allied genera. III. Chromosome numbers in interspecific hybrids. Bot. Gaz. 118:146-159.
  37. Quézel, P. & S. Santa. 1962-1963. Nouvelle flore de l'Algerie.
  38. Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
  39. Seed Regulatory and Testing Division, Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S.D.A. State noxious-weed seed requirements recognized in the administration of the Federal Seed Act (updated annually).
  40. Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
  41. 't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 4:195.
  42. Takahashi, S. et al. 2005. Very close relationship of the chloroplast genomes among Saccharum species. Theor. Appl. Genet. 110:1523-1529.
  43. Thulin, M., ed. 1993-. Flora of Somalia.
  44. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
  45. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
  46. Tzvelev, N. N. 1976. Zlaki SSSR
  47. Whalen, M. D. 1991. Taxonomy of Saccharum (Poaceae). Baileya 23:112.
  48. Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
  49. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
  50. Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. 1966-. Flora palaestina.
  51. Zon, A. P. M. van der. 1992. Graminées du Cameroun
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishfodder cane  1Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
Englishwild sugarcane  1Seed Regulatory and Testing Division, Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S.D.A. State noxious-weed seed requirements recognized in the administration of the Federal Seed Act (updated annually).
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaKenya  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaTanzania  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaUganda  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaEritrea  Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaEthiopia  Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaSomalia  Thulin, M., ed. 1993-. Flora of Somalia.
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaAlgeria  Quézel, P. & S. Santa. 1962-1963. Nouvelle flore de l'Algerie.
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaEgypt  Boulos, L. 1999-. Flora of Egypt
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaLibya  Ali, S. I. & S. M. H. Jafri, eds. 1976-. Flora of Libya.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMalawi  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaBurkina Faso  Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGhana  Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaNigeria  Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaCameroon n.Zon, A. P. M. van der. 1992. Graminées du Cameroun
1NativeAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaOman  Ghazanfar, S. A. 1992. An annotated catalogue of the vascular plants of Oman. Scripta Botanica Belgica 2
1NativeAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaSaudi Arabia  Migahid, A. M. 1988-1990. Flora of Saudi Arabia, ed. 3.
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaAnhui Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaFujian Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaGuangdong Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaGuangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaGuizhou Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaHainan Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaHenan Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaHubei Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaHunan Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaJiangsu Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaJiangxi Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaShaanxi Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaSichuan Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaXinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaXizang Zizhiqu Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaYunnan Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaZhejiang Sheng Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateEastern AsiaJapan  Koyama, T. 1987. Grasses of Japan and its neighboring regions
1NativeAsia-TemperateEastern AsiaTaiwan  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateMiddle AsiaTurkmenistan  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaAfghanistan  Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaIsrael  Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. 1966-. Flora palaestina.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaLebanon  Mouterde, P. 1966-. Nouvelle flore du Liban et de la Syrie.
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentBangladesh   
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentBhutan  Grierson, A. J. C. & D. J. Long. 1984-. Flora of Bhutan including a record of plants from Sikkim.
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaArunachal Pradesh Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaAssam Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaBihar Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaGujarat Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaHimachal Pradesh Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaJammu and Kashmir Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaKarnataka Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaKerala Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaMaharashtra Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaManipur Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaMeghalaya Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaNagaland Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaOdisha Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaTamil Nadu Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaTripura Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaUttar Pradesh Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndiaWest Bengal Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentNepal  Hara, H. et al. 1978-1982. An enumeration of the flowering plants of Nepal.
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentPakistan  Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970-. Flora of [West] Pakistan.
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentSri Lanka  Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon.
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaCambodia  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaMyanmar  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaThailand  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaVietnam  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TropicalMalesiaIndonesia  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TropicalMalesiaMalaysia  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TropicalMalesiaPhilippines  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeAsia-TropicalPapuasiaPapua New Guinea  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeItalySicilia Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
4Naturalized    natzd. elsewhere, incl. Mesoamerica 
4NaturalizedPacificNorth-Central PacificUnited StatesHawaii Frohlich, D. & A. Lau. 2014. New plant records for the Hawaiian Islands 2012–2013. Bishop Mus. Occas. Pap. 115:12.
Native
Africa
  • NORTHERN AFRICA: Algeria, Egypt, Libya
  • NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia
  • EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
  • WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Cameroon (n.)
  • WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria
  • SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Malawi
Asia-Temperate
  • ARABIAN PENINSULA: Oman, Saudi Arabia
  • WESTERN ASIA: Afghanistan, Israel, Lebanon
  • MIDDLE ASIA: Turkmenistan
  • CHINA: China [Anhui Sheng, Fujian Sheng, Guangdong Sheng, Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu, Guizhou Sheng, Hainan Sheng, Henan Sheng, Hubei Sheng, Hunan Sheng, Jiangsu Sheng, Jiangxi Sheng, Shaanxi Sheng, Sichuan Sheng, Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu, Xizang Zizhiqu, Yunnan Sheng, Zhejiang Sheng]
  • EASTERN ASIA: Japan, Taiwan
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India [Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal], Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan
  • PAPUASIA: Papua New Guinea
  • INDO-CHINA: Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
  • MALESIA: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines
Europe
  • SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Italy [Sicilia]
Naturalized

  • REGION:
Pacific
  • NORTH-CENTRAL PACIFIC: United States [Hawaii]

Reference(s)
  1. Ali, S. I. & S. M. H. Jafri, eds. 1976-. Flora of Libya.
  2. Boulos, L. 1999-. Flora of Egypt
  3. Dassanayake, M. D. & F. R. Fosberg, eds. 1980-. A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon.
  4. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
  5. Frohlich, D. & A. Lau. 2014. New plant records for the Hawaiian Islands 2012–2013. Bishop Mus. Occas. Pap. 115:12.
  6. Ghazanfar, S. A. 1992. An annotated catalogue of the vascular plants of Oman. Scripta Botanica Belgica 2
  7. Grierson, A. J. C. & D. J. Long. 1984-. Flora of Bhutan including a record of plants from Sikkim.
  8. Hara, H. et al. 1978-1982. An enumeration of the flowering plants of Nepal.
  9. Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
  10. Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
  11. Koyama, T. 1987. Grasses of Japan and its neighboring regions
  12. Migahid, A. M. 1988-1990. Flora of Saudi Arabia, ed. 3.
  13. Mouterde, P. 1966-. Nouvelle flore du Liban et de la Syrie.
  14. Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970-. Flora of [West] Pakistan.
  15. Quézel, P. & S. Santa. 1962-1963. Nouvelle flore de l'Algerie.
  16. Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
  17. Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
  18. Thulin, M., ed. 1993-. Flora of Somalia.
  19. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
  20. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
  21. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
  22. Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. 1966-. Flora palaestina.
  23. Zon, A. P. M. van der. 1992. Graminées du Cameroun
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Environmentalerosion controlpotential't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 4:195.
Environmentalrevegetator 't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 4:195.
Harmful organism hostcrop diseases Holm, L. et al. 1997. World weeds: natural histories and distribution John Wiley & Sons, New York, New York. 697.
Harmful organism hostcrop pests Holm, L. et al. 1997. World weeds: natural histories and distribution John Wiley & Sons, New York, New York. 697.
Medicinesfolklore McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Weedseed contaminantpotentialHolm, L. et al. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=32625. Accessed 15 April 2026.