Imperata cylindrica, Woolly grass, Cogon grass, Sharp grass,
Hebrew: משיין גליליני, Arabic: deil el-qott, halfa, silla
Scientific name:   Imperata cylindrica (L.) P.Beauv., (L.) Raeusch.
Synonym name:  Imperata arundinacea Cirillo, Lagurus cylindricus L., Saccharum koenigii Retz.
Common name:  Woolly grass, Cogon grass, Sharp grass
Hebrew name:  משיין גליליני
العربية, Arabic name:  deil el-qott, halfa, silla
Nederlandse naam:  Japans bloedgras
Family:  Gramineae (Poaceae), Grass Family, משפחת הדגניים

Imperata cylindrica, Woolly grass, Cogon grass, Sharp grass, משיין גליליני, deil el-qott, halfa, silla

Life form:  Hemicryptophyte, perennial herb
Spinescence:  Non
Stems:  Round, hollow
Leaves:  Rosette, alternate, smooth margin, leaf blades strongly ribbed
Inflorescence:  A silky spike-like panicle.
Flowers:  Green, spikelets 1-flowered, 4-5mm long, awnless, surrounded by a tuft of silky hairs, 12-15mm long
Fruits / pods:  Homogeneous seeds-fruits
Flowering Period:  March, April, May, June, July
Habitat:  Humid habitats
Distribution:  Mediterranean Woodlands and shrublands,
Chorotype:  Med - Irano-Turanian - Saharo-Arabian
Summer shedding:  Perennating

Imperata cylindrica, Woolly grass, Cogon grass, Sharp grass, משיין גליליני, deil el-qott, halfa, silla


Derivation of the botanical name:
Imperata, named after Ferrante Imperato (1550 – 1625), an apothecary of Naples, botanist, author of "Dell'historia naturale libri XXVIIII.
cylindrica, long and round, cylindrical.
  • The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
  • The standard author abbreviation Raeusch. is used to indicate Ernst Adolf Raeuschel (1740 – 1800), a German lichenologist.
  • The standard author abbreviation P.Beauv. is used to indicate Ambroise Marie François Joseph Palisot, Baron de Beauvois (1752 – 1820), a French naturalist.
Imperata cylindrica was used for making ropes, baskets, mats in Ancient Egypt (Täckholm, Drar M. 1941).

Imperata cylindrica, Woolly grass, Cogon grass, Sharp grass, משיין גליליני, deil el-qott, halfa, silla


Imperata cylindrica, Woolly grass, Cogon grass, Sharp grass, משיין גליליני, deil el-qott, halfa, silla