LATIN NAME: IMPERATA CYLINDRICA

COMMON NAME: Bai Mao Gen, Cogon Grass Rhizome, White Grass Root

The Imperata cylindrica, known in the old traditions as bai mao gen or white grass root, is one of the most widespread and vigorous of the grasses, and its long, white, sweet-tasting rhizomes and its ability to spread across the fields and the roadsides have made it a plant of both value and concern across the warm and the temperate world. It grows as a vigorous, creeping, perennial grass of the grass family, with the long, white, branching rhizomes spreading beneath the ground and the upright, slender stems bearing the long, narrow, sharp, bright-green leaves and, in the summer, the silvery, feathery, cylindrical seed heads which catch the light. It is a species of the flowering grass, native to the fields, the roadsides and the disturbed ground across the warm and the temperate regions of Asia, Africa and the Pacific, while it has been used in the traditions for a very long time, and it is known as the bai mao gen, the cogon grass or the white grass root.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The bai mao gen has a real and distinguished place in research. It has been studied in the chemistry and the natural-products science, since the imperata rhizome contains a range of compounds including the triterpenes and the sugars, and the researchers have examined the rhizome, its constituents and its composition, while the study of the grasses and their chemistry has drawn attention in the international natural-products press, and the plant is best appreciated as a subject of study and a traditional material rather than a casual remedy. The plant has also been studied in the ecology and the invasive-species science, since the imperata is one of the most aggressive and widespread of the invasive grasses, and the researchers have examined its spread, its impact and its control, while the study of the invasive plants has been of continuing interest. The species has also been studied in the agriculture and the land management, since the imperata can be a serious weed of the crops and the plantations, and the researchers have examined its management and its control, while the long, white rhizomes and the silvery seed heads of the imperata have been of interest to the botanists and the land managers. For a grass of such vigour, the bai mao gen has a rich and distinguished record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

To grow the Imperata from seed, the bai mao gen comes from a vigorous, creeping perennial grass of the fields and the roadsides, where its long, white, sweet-tasting rhizomes spread beneath the ground. Its seed heads provide a food for the birds and the small animals, and its dense growth gives a fine cover on the disturbed ground, while its vigorous spread can make it a serious weed in the crops and the plantations. Its economic value is mixed but real: the bai mao gen is prized as a traditional material in the East, and its value has drawn attention in the international agricultural and natural-products press, while the vigorous growth and the ability to colonize the disturbed ground have made it a plant of concern to the land managers, and the grass is best appreciated in the naturalized area where it can spread freely. To raise the imperata, sow the seeds on the surface of pots of moist, open soil in a sunny, bright place, keep them gently watered, and grow the little grasses on in the sun.

sow the seeds on the surface of pots of moist, open soil in a sunny, bright place, keep the young imperata gently watered, and grow the little grasses on in the sun.