Saccharum spontaneumL.

wild sugarcane

WFO wfo-0000896738 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC0 / CC BY

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 8 separate observations

Saccharum spontaneum, photographed by Dana Lee Ling
fig. a Dana Lee Ling, CC0 1.0 / 2022-05-30 / obs. 201802830
Saccharum spontaneum, photographed by 葉子
fig. b 葉子, CC0 1.0 / obs. 178208798
Saccharum spontaneum, photographed by Kevin Faccenda
fig. c Kevin Faccenda, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 176101911
Saccharum spontaneum, photographed by 葉子
fig. d 葉子, CC0 1.0 / obs. 178174042
Saccharum spontaneum, photographed by chiuluan
fig. e chiuluan, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 164934499
Saccharum spontaneum, photographed by 葉子
fig. f 葉子, CC0 1.0 / obs. 173813888
Saccharum spontaneum, photographed by 高山田鼠
fig. g 高山田鼠, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 177218972
Saccharum spontaneum, photographed by chiuluan
fig. h chiuluan, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 157445275

Every figure is a research-grade observation under CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA, rehosted with the photographer’s name, the licence and the observation it came from. Photographs under a NonCommercial licence are excluded from this site and are never stored, which costs us a great many pictures and is not negotiable.

Native range 72 botanical countries

Regions where Saccharum spontaneum is native: Algeria, Burkina, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Malawi, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Afghanistan, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Gulf States, Hainan, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Korea, Lebanon-Syria, Nansei-shoto, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sinai, Tadzhikistan, Taiwan, Tibet, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Xinjiang, Yemen, Andaman Is., Assam, Bangladesh, Bismarck Archipelago, Cambodia, East Himalaya, India, Jawa, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maluku, Myanmar, Nepal, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Pakistan, Philippines, Solomon Is., Sri Lanka, Sumatera, Thailand, Vietnam, West Himalaya, Northern Territory, Queensland, Sicilia AlgeriaBurkinaCameroonCentral African RepublicChadEgyptEritreaEthiopiaGhanaKenyaLibyaMalawiMoroccoNigerNigeriaSomaliaSudan-South SudanTanzaniaTogoTunisiaUgandaAfghanistanChina North-CentralChina South-CentralChina SoutheastGulf StatesHainanJapanKazakhstanKirgizstanLebanon-SyriaOmanPalestineSaudi ArabiaSinaiTadzhikistanTaiwanTibetTurkmenistanUzbekistanXinjiangYemenAssamBangladeshBismarck ArchipelagoCambodiaEast HimalayaIndiaJawaLaosLesser Sunda Is.MalayaMalukuMyanmarNepalNew GuineaPakistanPhilippinesSolomon Is.Sri LankaSumateraThailandVietnamWest HimalayaNorthern TerritoryQueenslandSicilia SeychellesKoreaNansei-shotoAndaman Is.Nicobar Is.
Native distribution of Saccharum spontaneum, after Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where the plant is from, not everywhere it now grows. Regions too small to draw at this scale are marked with a dot.
RegionTDWG codeContinent
Andaman Is. AND ASIA-TROPICAL
Assam ASS
Bangladesh BAN
Bismarck Archipelago BIS
Cambodia CBD
East Himalaya EHM
India IND
Jawa JAW
Laos LAO
Lesser Sunda Is. LSI
Malaya MLY
Maluku MOL
Myanmar MYA
Nepal NEP
New Guinea NWG
Nicobar Is. NCB
Pakistan PAK
Philippines PHI
Solomon Is. SOL
Sri Lanka SRL
Sumatera SUM
Thailand THA
Vietnam VIE
West Himalaya WHM
Afghanistan AFG ASIA-TEMPERATE
China North-Central CHN
China South-Central CHC
China Southeast CHS
Gulf States GST
Hainan CHH
Japan JAP
Kazakhstan KAZ
Kirgizstan KGZ
Korea KOR
Lebanon-Syria LBS
Nansei-shoto NNS
Oman OMA
Palestine PAL
Saudi Arabia SAU
Sinai SIN
Tadzhikistan TZK
Taiwan TAI
Tibet CHT
Turkmenistan TKM
Uzbekistan UZB
Xinjiang CHX
Yemen YEM
Algeria ALG AFRICA
Burkina BKN
Cameroon CMN
Central African Republic CAF
Chad CHA
Egypt EGY
Eritrea ERI
Ethiopia ETH
Ghana GHA
Kenya KEN
Libya LBY
Malawi MLW
Morocco MOR
Niger NGR
Nigeria NGA
Seychelles SEY
Somalia SOM
Sudan-South Sudan SUD
Tanzania TAN
Togo TOG
Tunisia TUN
Uganda UGA
Northern Territory NTA AUSTRALASIA
Queensland QLD
Sicilia SIC EUROPE

Region boundaries approximated from Natural Earth (public domain) and mapped to TDWG World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD) level-3 botanical countries (Brummitt 2001). Indicative, not the official WGSRPD geometry.

Also published as 30 synonyms

A synonym is not an error. It is a record of botanists disagreeing, in print, about where this plant belongs. Each of these was somebody’s considered answer.

  • Imperata klaga Jungh.
  • Imperata spontanea (L.) P.Beauv.
  • Saccharifera spontanea (L.) Stokes
  • Saccharum aegyptiacum Willd.
  • Saccharum angustifolium Reinw. ex de Vriese
  • Saccharum biflorum Forssk.
  • Saccharum caducum Tausch
  • Saccharum canaliculatum Roxb.
  • Saccharum chinense Nees ex Hook. & Arn.
  • Saccharum edule Hassk.
  • Saccharum glaza Reinw. ex Blume
  • Saccharum insulare Brongn.
  • Saccharum juncifolium (Hack.) Jan.Ammal
  • Saccharum klagha (Jungh.) Steud.
  • Saccharum palisotii Tausch
  • Saccharum propinquum Steud.
  • Saccharum punctatum Schumach.
  • Saccharum semidecumbens Roxb.
  • Saccharum speciosissimum Tausch
  • Saccharum spontaneum subsp. biflorum (Forssk.) Pilg.
  • Saccharum spontaneum subsp. indicum Hack.
  • Saccharum spontaneum var. aegyptiacum (Willd.) Hack.
  • Saccharum spontaneum var. edule (Hassk.) K.Schum. & Lauterb.
  • Saccharum spontaneum var. insulare (Brongn.) Fosberg & Sachet

and 6 more.

Sourcesevery claim on this page

  1. World Flora Online Plant List. accepted name, authority, classification. CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  2. iNaturalist. photographs and flowering annotations, CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA only. per photograph. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  3. Wikidata. common name (P1843), joined on the World Flora Online identifier (P7715). CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  4. Kew, World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP v16). native distribution by TDWG level-3 botanical country, and life form. CC BY 3.0. Retrieved 2026-06-04.

We publish what we can source and we say so when we cannot. This page has no care advice and no toxicity claim, because we do not yet have those from a source we can cite.