Mandua / Ragi
Eleusine coracana
Also known as Finger Millet, African Millet, Ragi Cereal
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh
- Flowering
- March-November
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Eleusine coracana
- Genus
- Eleusine
- Family
- Poaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Widely cultivated in Paleotropics
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Native to
- Old World tropics
- Distribution
- Cultivated in Old World Tropics
- Found in India
- Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh
- Flowering & fruiting
- March-November
- 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
Typical of the Poaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Hindi
- मंडुआ mandua, मंडवा mandwa, मड़ुआ marua, ragi
- Nepali
- मड़ुवा maruwa, कोदो
- Bengali
- marwa
- Tamil
- ஆரியம் aariyam, இராகி iraki, கேழ்வரகு kel-varaku, கேழ்வரகு
- Telugu
- రాగి ragi, తమిదలు tamidalu, రాగి
- Kannada
- ರಾಗಿ ragi, ರಾಗಿ, ಗುಲಿ ವಿಧಾನ: ರಾಗಿ
- Malayalam
- രാഗി ragi, മുത്താറി, പഞ്ഞപ്പുല്ല്, കൂവരക്
- Marathi
- नाचणी nachani, नागली nagali, नाचणी
- Sanskrit
- मडक
- Punjabi
- ਮੰਡੁਆ
- Sinhala
- කුරක්කන්, කුරහං
Mandua in India
Finger millet, known as मंडुआ mandua (Hindi), ஆரியம் aariyam (Tamil), రాగి ragi (Telugu), ರಾಗಿ ragi (Kannada), രാഗി ragi (Malayalam), नाचणी nachani (Marathi), is a hardy staple grain especially important in South India. Eleusine coracana is grown across Andhra Pradesh, Bihar State, Madras State, Uttar Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh State, Mysore State, valued for tolerating poor soils and low rainfall.
Uses
The grain is ground into flour for ragi mudde (a staple dumpling in Karnataka), ragi roti, porridge, and malted ragi drinks for infants and convalescents, prized for its calcium content.
How to Identify Mandua
A tufted annual grass to about a metre tall. The seed head is the clearest identifying feature: several finger-like spikes radiate from a single point at the top of the stem, like a claw or open hand, densely packed with tiny grains that ripen to dark brown.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Ragi called in different Indian languages?
- मंडुआ mandua (Hindi); ஆரியம் aariyam (Tamil); రాగి ragi (Telugu); ರಾಗಿ ragi (Kannada); രാഗി ragi (Malayalam); नाचणी nachani (Marathi); marwa (Bengali); ਮੰਡੁਆ (Punjabi); मडक (Sanskrit).
- Why is it called 'finger millet'?
- The seed head splits into several narrow, finger-like spikes radiating from one point, giving the crop its common English name.
- Is ragi gluten-free?
- Yes — like other millets, finger millet contains no gluten, which is part of why it's used in porridges and drinks for infants and those avoiding wheat.
Poaceae
Grass family
Mandua belongs to the Poaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Poaceae
View all Poaceae →Sources: GBIF — Eleusine coracana (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Eleusine coracana (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)