Kasai / Giant Adlay Millet
Chionachne koenigii
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Chhattisgarh, Manipur, Gujarat & more
- Flowering
- July-December
How to identify Kasai
Identify Kasai by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Confirm fruit surface: Smooth, not spiny.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: July-December.
- In India, compare location records such as Chhattisgarh, Manipur, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Poaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Kasai.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Chionachne koenigii
- Genus
- Chionachne
- Family
- Poaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Along stream sides in moist deciduous forests
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Malaysia, Australia
- Found in India
- Chhattisgarh, Manipur, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab
- Flowering & fruiting
- July-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Typical of the Poaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Fruit surface
- Smooth, not spinyrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Spike
- Fruit
- Grain
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kasai itself; the rest are typical of the Poaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Kannada
- Kachalu, Suku dabha
- Marathi
- Kasai, Varival
- Tamil
- Kochikai
- Telugu
- Gela gaddi, Kaasi gaddi, Kalivaeru gaddi
About Kasai
A member of the Poaceae family, Giant Adlay Millet (Chionachne koenigii) is a herb. In India it has been recorded in Chhattisgarh, Manipur, Gujarat and 2 other states. It grows in along stream sides in moist deciduous forests. Flowering and fruiting run from July to December.
Poaceae
Grass family
Kasai belongs to the Poaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Poaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides