Taxon:  Chrysopogon nigritanus (Benth.) Veldkamp



Summary
Genus:
Chrysopogon
Family:
Poaceae (alt. Gramineae)
Subfamily:
Panicoideae
Tribe:
Andropogoneae
Subtribe:
Chrysopogoninae
Nomen number:
432344
Place of publication:
Austrobaileya 5:526.  1999
Verified:
03/18/2003 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
3 (0  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Andropogon nigritanus Benth.

Homotypic Synonym(s)
Vetiveria nigritana (Benth.) Stapf

No images


Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource). Note: as Vetiveria nigricans
  2. Barnard, S. et al. 2013. Genetic diversity of vetiver isolates (Chrysopogon zizanoides / nigritanus) available in South Africa based on ITS, ndhF and rbcL sequencing analyses. S. African J. Bot. 86:63-67. DOI: 10.1016/j.sajb.2013.02.005.
  3. Eltayeb, L. M. H. et al. 2023. Essential oils composition and biological activity of Chamaecyparis obtusa, Chrysopogon nigritanus and Lavandula coronopifolia grown wild in Sudan. Molecules 23:1005. DOI: 10.3390/molecules28031005.
  4. Panel on Vetiver, Board on Science and Technology for International Development, National Research Council. 1993. Vetiver grass: a thin green line against erosion. 11.
  5. Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Sudaneserwag almouya  2Eltayeb, L. M. H. et al. 2023. Essential oils composition and biological activity of Chamaecyparis obtusa, Chrysopogon nigritanus and Lavandula coronopifolia grown wild in Sudan. Molecules 23:1005. DOI: 10.3390/molecules28031005.
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaSudan  Eltayeb, L. M. H. et al. 2023. Essential oils composition and biological activity of Chamaecyparis obtusa, Chrysopogon nigritanus and Lavandula coronopifolia grown wild in Sudan. Molecules 23:1005. DOI: 10.3390/molecules28031005.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaAngola  Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMalawi  Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZimbabwe  Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaBotswana n. 
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaNamibia n.Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaBenin  Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaBurkina Faso  Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaCôte D'Ivoire  Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGambia  Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGhana  Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGuinea  Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaMali  Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaMauritania  Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaNiger  Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaNigeria  Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaSenegal  Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaSierra Leone  Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaTogo  Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaCameroon  Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaDemocratic Republic of the Congo  Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
Native
Africa
  • NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Sudan
  • WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte D'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
  • SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola, Malawi, Zimbabwe
  • SOUTHERN AFRICA: Botswana (n.), Namibia (n.)

Reference(s)
  1. Eltayeb, L. M. H. et al. 2023. Essential oils composition and biological activity of Chamaecyparis obtusa, Chrysopogon nigritanus and Lavandula coronopifolia grown wild in Sudan. Molecules 23:1005. DOI: 10.3390/molecules28031005.
  2. Veldkamp, J. F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin., including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia with notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaileya 5:503-533.
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Environmentalerosion controlused to some extent in Africa, with potential for greater usePanel on Vetiver, Board on Science and Technology for International Development, National Research Council. 1993. Vetiver grass: a thin green line against erosion. 11.
Materialsessential oilspotentialEltayeb, L. M. H. et al. 2023. Essential oils composition and biological activity of Chamaecyparis obtusa, Chrysopogon nigritanus and Lavandula coronopifolia grown wild in Sudan. Molecules 23:1005. DOI: 10.3390/molecules28031005.
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=432344. Accessed 12 May 2026.