Camel grass/ Desert bunchgrass

Scientific Name: Cymbopogon schoenanthus Spreng.

Arabic name(s): الجَليل

English name(s): Camel grass/ Desert bunchgrass

Growth form: Panicum is a desert perennial grass.

Order: Poales

Family: Poaceae

Genus: Panicum L.

Species: Panicum turgidum Forssk.

Citation in the Quran:

The plant is not mentioned in the Holy Qur’an.

Citation in the Hadit:

Narrated by ‘Aisha: When Allah’s Apostle reached Medina, Abu Bakr and Bilal became sick. When Abu Bakr’s fever got worse, he would recite (this poetic verse): “Everybody is staying alive with his People, yet Death is nearer to him than His shoe laces.” And Bilal, when his fever deserted him, would recite: “Would that I could stay overnight in A valley wherein I would be Surrounded by (kinds of good-smelling grass). Would that one day I could Drink the water of the Majanna, and Would that (The two mountains) Shama and Tafil would appear to me!” The Prophet said, “O Allah! Curse Shaiba bin Rabi’a and ‘Utba bin Rabi’a and Umaiya bin Khalaf as they turned us out of our land to the land of epidemics.” Allah’s Apostle then said, “O Allah! Make us love Medina as we love Mecca or even more than that. O Allah! Give blessings in our Sa and our Mudd (measures symbolizing food) and make the climate of Medina suitable for us, and divert its fever towards Aljuhfa.” Aisha added: When we reached Medina, it was the most unhealthy of Allah’s lands, and the valley of Bathan (the valley of Medina) used to flow with impure colored water. Sahih Al Bukhari, book of virtues of Madinah.

Habitat & Distribution:

The desert bunchgrass “Jalil” is abundant on sand sheets, sandy depressions and other sandy accumulations of the Arabian deserts.

Map Image

Get In Touch

CLOSE