Gen info
- Poaceae, also called Gramineae, is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as true grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, natural grassland grasses, and species cultivated in lawns and pastures.
(14)
- Poaceae is the 5th largest plant family, after Asteraceae, Orchidaceae, Fabaceae, and Rubiaceae.
- Poaceae are the most economically important plant family, which includes staple foods from domesticated cereal crops such as maize, wheat, rice, oats, barley, and millet for people and feed for meat-producing animals. (14)
- Taxonomy: The name Poaceae was given by John Hendley Barnhart in 1895. The type genus Poa was described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus.The name derives from Ancient Greek word meaning
"fodder."
(14)
- Dinebra
is a genus of plants belonging to the grass family, native to the world's tropics and the USA.
- Etymology: The genus name
Dinebra derives from a latinized corruption of the Arabic word danaiba, meaning "a little tail," referring to the tapering and sharply pointed (acuminate) tis of the plant's floral glumes or the shape of the spike clusters. The specific epithet chinensis means "from China."
 Botany
• Malay-palay is a strongly tufted, annual or short-lived perennial grass; hollow, erect stems with glabrous leaves and fibrous roots, up to 120 cm tall. Leaves are smooth, linearm 10-30 cm long; ligule an inconspicuous membrane 1-2 mm long and deeply divided into hairlike segments. Flowers are loose panicles, 10-40 cm long, with many spike-like slender branches; two rows of spikelets each 2-3.2 mm long, purplish or green and 4-6 flowered. Seeds are brown, smooth or wrinkled, 6-9 mm long; an abundant seed producer. (11)
• Culms tufted, erect or ascending, to 75 cm; nodes glabrous. Leafblades flat or involute, 8-24 x 0.2-0.6 cm, glabrous; ligule membranous, lacerate at apex, to 0.2 cm. Panicles to 30 cm; branches numerous, linear, erect or spreading, to 18 cm. Spikelets linear-oblong, to 0.3 cm, 3-7-flowered; pedicel to 0.1 cm, scaberulous. Glumes ovate-lanceolate, membranous, subequal, 1-veined; lower glume to 0.08 cm; upper glume to 0.12 cm; lemmas elliptic-lanceolate, keeled, 3-veined, sparsely pilose on marginal veins; lower lemma to 0.15 cm; palea ovate, to 0.08 cm, membranous, 2-keeld. Grain broadly obovoid, to 0.1 cm. (eFloraOfIndia)
Distribution
- Native to the Philippines. (1)
- Also native Assam, Bangladesh, Borneo, Botswana, Cambodia, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, East Himalaya, Eswatini, Hainan, India, Japan, Jawa, Kenya, Korea, KwaZulu-Natal, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Myanmar, New Guinea, Northern Provinces, South China Sea, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Vietnam, West Himalaya, Zimbabwe. (1)
- Occurs in croplands, wetlands, swamps, or streams in open lowland regions of the tropics. In heavy or light soils, along streams and water courses, marshy grounds, and in upland and lowland rice fields.
(2)
- Invades sugarcane, vegetables, cotton, corn, soybeans, sweet potatoes bananas, pineapple, tea and other crops. Best known as a serious weed of rice.
(2)
 Constituents
- Qualitative phytochemical analysis of ethanol and aqueous extracts of Dinebra chinensis revealed: Tannins (E,A), saponin (A), flavonoids (A), reducing sugas (E,A), alkaloids (E), with absence of terpenoids, phenolic compounds, steroids, and carbonyl compounds.
-
Qualitative phytochemical analysis of n-hexane, ethanolic, and aqueous extracts revealed consistent presence of tannins and reducing sugars. Saponins and flavonoids were detected exclusively in the aqueous extract and alkaloids in the ethanolic extract. (see study below) (15)
Properties
- A serious weed in rice fields in Asian countries.
-
It can withstand waterlogged, drained, and moist conditions, which makes it a problem weed in rice fields. (6)
- In Chinese traditional medicine, listed as a plant that can cause HILN (herbal-induced liver injury).
(7)
- Studies suggest herbicidal, antifungal, antitumor, antibacterial properties.
Uses
Edibility
- Seeds used as famine food.
Folkloric
- No reported folkloric medicinal use in the Philippines.
-
In traditional Chinese medicine, unprocessed caper
(Leptochloa chinensis sterol) causes detumescence through inducing of diuresis. (8)
Others
- Fodder: A fodder grass; a livestock grazing feed grass specialty. (see study below: 15)
Studies
• Antitumor Activity / Renal Cell Carcinoma Cells: Study evaluated the antitumor activity of Leptochloa chinensis and its molecular biological mechanism against renal cell carcinoma 786-O cells. Leptochloa can weaken migration and invasion of 786-O cells. More importantly, it can block the mTOR pathway by inhibiting protein expression of p-mTOR. L. chinensis inhibits the viability and metastasis of 786-O by blocking the mTOR pathway. (3)
• Herbicidal Potential Activity / Stems: Study evaluated crude extracts from stems of red spragle (Leptochloa chinensis) for inhibitory activity on seed germination and seedling growth of seven tested plants (popping pod, Chinese cabbage, Chinese kale, barnyard grass, amaranthus, weedy rice and waxy corn. All crude extracts at concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 g/L) inhibited seed germination and seedling growth of seven tested plants for 9-199% inhibition. Results suggest herbicidal potential of red sprangle against the seven tested plants and potential of crude stem extracts of red sprangle as bioherbicides as bioherbicides application in weed control. (5)
• Antifungal: Study evaluated the antifungal activity of ethanolic crude extracts of 24 medicinal plants, including Leptochloa chinensis against Fusarium sp (the pathogen of dirty panicle disease in rice). All 24 extracts showed significant inhibition of mycelial growth activity. Leptochloa chinensis showed 50, 53, and 63% inhibition at 5000, 7500 and 10,000 ppm, respectively. (9)
• Antibacterial / Secondary Metabolites: Study evaluated the secondary metabolites and antibacterial activity of D. chinensis, an underutilized fodder grass. MIC assays showed growth inhibition of hydro-ethanolic extract against Escherichia coli. Results suggest potential for ethnoveterinary applications and natural antimicrobial development, supporting integration into sustainable livestock health management and grassland biodiversity conservation strategies. (see constituents above) (15)
• Potential as Fodder Grass: Often cited as under-utilized fodder grass, preliminary observations suggest D. chinensis may serve as a palatable fodder grass while also containing secondary metabolites of pharmacologic significance, offering dual benefits in terms of fodder security and natural therapeutics. (15)
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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