24. Saccharum officinarum L. GRAMINEAE

Sugar cane; Hindi: ganna, गन्ना

Sugar cane is a giant grass, widely cultivated for the juice expressed from its crushed stems, from which sugar is made. The crop plant is of complex origin and was probably first cultivated in New Guinea, but it is now widely cultivated in the Tropics, including India where it grows on dark-coloured soils, often requiring extensive irrigation.

Hand coloured lithograph of sugar cane from Weyhe & Nees Plantes Médicinales 1 (9/20) t. 35