Home · Herb knowledge · Millet
One shop word, more than one plantMillet is not a species.
Millet is an English shop word for more than one small dry-land grass. Tamil kitchens name thinai, varagu, samai, kezhvaragu, kambu, kuthiraivali and panivaragu as different grains. This page will not pick a winner.
Choose the botanical page
- Thinai · Setaria italica
Setaria italica — thinai, foxtail millet, a bristly fox-tail head.
- Varagu · Paspalum scrobiculatum
Paspalum scrobiculatum — varagu / kodo, flattened paired-spikelet racemes.
- Samai · Panicum sumatrense
Panicum sumatrense — samai, little millet, a fine open panicle.
- Kezhvaragu · Eleusine coracana
Eleusine coracana — kezhvaragu / ragi, the fingered fist.
- Kambu · Cenchrus americanus
Cenchrus americanus — kambu / bajra, pearl millet.
- Cholam · Sorghum bicolor
Sorghum bicolor — jowar / cholam, a compact dry-land panicle.
- Kuthiraivali · Echinochloa colona
Echinochloa colona — kuthiraivali, Indian barnyard millet.
- Panivaragu · Panicum miliaceum
Panicum miliaceum — panivaragu / proso, a larger-grained panicum.
This word names more than one plant, so check the botanical name before you buy or use it. If the plant you meant is not listed, we have not written it yet. Educational only. Not medical advice and not a shop.