| Digitaria iburua | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Subfamily: | Panicoideae |
| Genus: | Digitaria |
| Species: | D. iburua |
| Binomial name | |
| Digitaria iburua | |
Digitaria iburua, commonly known as iburu, is a grass species native to west and west-central tropical Africa, [1] which is cultivated as a grain crop known as black fonio . [2]
Iburu (D. iburua) is closely related to white fonio ( D. exilis ), a cereal that is more widely grown across West Africa. However, Iburu is taller than fonio, but has smaller grain than fonio. This makes harvesting the grains very labor-intensive. Iburu is mainly grown in the Middle Belt of central Nigeria, as well as in Zinder, Niger. [3]