Gan Zhe

Gan Zhe is the stem of Saccharum officinarum (Poaceae), sugarcane, a tall perennial tropical grass 2–6 m high cultivated throughout southern China and the global tropics. Culms are stout, solid, jointed, 2–5 cm in diameter, green to yellow, red or purple according to cultivar, and filled with sweet juice rich in sucrose. The conspicuous nodes bear ringed leaf scars and waxy bands. Leaf blades are linear, 1–2 m long, 4–6 cm wide, with a sharp scabrous margin and prominent midrib. Terminal panicles 30–90 cm long are open and silky-plumose with numerous tiny spikelets surrounded by long silky hairs at maturity. In China, sugarcane is consumed fresh or pressed for juice and used as a moistening, fluid-engendering food remedy.