Plants in Egypt

Caesalpinioideae / Caesalpiniaceae Yellow Bird of Paradise, Yellow dwarf poinciana, Bird of Paradise Bush, Desert Bird of Paradise

2010-12-16T16:57:00.000-08:00

Caesalpinioideae / Caesalpiniaceae
Yellow Bird of Paradise, Yellow dwarf poinciana, Bird of Paradise Bush, Desert Bird of Paradise
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It seems no one knows the name of this plant.
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Will be going out on my walk later and will take some photos of the plant poinsettia. lots of it here in the wild it grows over 8ft,
but the gardens have just been planted up ready for xmas
this is a cut from yahoo,, and of course the pointsettia is not poisenous. reading the last part of this it seems the Egyptian men eat it.

Pity the poor poinsettia. All it ever wanted was to be a nice emblem for the holidays: To be patiently wrapped in red foil and hoisted on hostesses, to festoon festive Christmas sweaters, and to be eternally mimicked in plastic. But somewhere along the way it picked up a bad-girl reputation as a lethal beauty -- lovely to look at and terribly toxic if tasted!

But are the rumors true? Are pretty poinsettias potentially poisonous? About 70 percent of the population will answer yes, and although every year there is a bumper crop of stories explaining otherwise -- the myth persists. And myth it is. Poinsettia's are not poisonous, merely the victim of a popularly enduring urban legend.

It all started back in the early part of the 20th century when the young child of a U.S. Army officer was alleged to have died from consuming a poinsettia leaf -- a story which was later retracted.

But, as these things have a habit of doing, the toxic potential of the poinsettia took on a life of its own. Now many people treat poinsettias as persona non grata (or poinsettia non grata, as the case may be) in their households.

According to the American Medical Association's Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants, other than occasional cases of vomiting, ingestion of the poinsettia plant has been found to produce no ill effect. And other experts have weighed in as well.

The Society of American Florists worked with the academic faculty of entomology at Ohio State University to thoroughly test all parts of the poinsettia and conclusively established that there were no adverse effects. In 1975, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission denied a petition to require warning labels for poinsettia plants.

As for your pets, the American Veterinary Medicine Association of America does not include poinsettias on its list of plants that are a threat to animals. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals states that ingestion of poinsettias may cause mild to moderate gastrointestinal tract irritation, which may include drooling, vomiting, and/or diarrhea -- but nothing severe or fatal.

and while I am at it I will show the Kopak blossom before I move the photos to www.egyptplants.blogspot, .http://egyptplants.blogspot.com/
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yellow kopak tree blossm
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koppak tree blossom

plants around luxor egypt

2010-12-08T00:45:00.001-08:00

the kopak trees are not being watered due to the demolition works of lowering the promenade

and are wilting and dying . there are over 20 trees on the path of the demolition .

all the next plants will be gone in the wake of the demolition programme .

the next plants are photos from last weeks walk'

the reason I have put them on one post is because they will be moved to my Egypt plants blog in two days, save space on this nilelife5 post,/http://egyptplants.blogspot.com/,

plants of the Fayoum

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one hours walk in 6th october alexandria

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All these plants are within 100 yards of my friends flat in 6th October alexandria

PLANTS IN ALEXANDRIA

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peach coloured hibiscus

morning glory

one of the plants on the beach

plants in Alexandria

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hibiscus flowers in alexandria

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plants along the suez canal

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kopak flower

two species of the jacanoinse tree in bloom

one of the parks along the canal

THE acacia flamboyant tree this tree by the Suez canal;-has blossom and pods at the same time,

blooms, mallow plant, nile river

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Flower of the Nile

Mallow flowers

Milkweed, Calotropis procera

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This is a widespread plant, especially common on the banks of the Nile in Upper Egypt. Its presence indicates that the land is disturbed. Like all members of the family Asclepiadaceae, it is very poisonous; insects, such as the grasshopper Poikilocerus bufonius, that have fed on it often use the plant poisons for their own defense.

Hottest month plants

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Good show of theNile flower .
the tomato plant self seeded.

Ocra some of the plants are 2 meters high
Ocra flower

The Doum tree,A multi-stemmed fan palm that can grow to 20m in height. The flowers are small and yellow and the edible fruits are glossy brown, about 7–8cm long. The fruits are edible and refreshing and are used to treat rheumatism, to treat high blood pressure and as an antipyretic. These fruits have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs.

Flower of the pomigranit

verry pretty only one flower on the bush

A close up of the above shrub

All the datepalms are over loaded this year many trees have fallen with the weight.

Last day of May flowers.

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a date palm over loaded with fruit collapsed under the weight

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Bean,mellon and cactus flowers

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The flower of the honey melon,

It seems no one knows the name of this plant.
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The yellow cactus flower plants and botany on

Bean plant flower

Nile River flower

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http://insectsonwings.blogspot.com/
Wasp on the Mallow plant.

plants in May part 2

2010-05-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

Come on SAP name this one lots of this tree here.

Mesembryanthemum

Pink double hibiscus

Red Double Hibiscus flower

Flower of the ornamental palm tree

Another ornamental palm

Rubber plant tree,

busy lizzy

different cactus plants

I think this is a type of Sisal (Agave sisalana)

Kopak tree

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seed of the kopak

May blooms,Cacti flowers

2010-05-26T09:01:00.000-07:00

Aloe vera, plant

The Canna plant

this small bush is covered in the berries bellow

Henna blossom it smells lovely .

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Sisal (Agave sisalana)

morning glory

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Thistle leaves

another weed quite a large plant

Tall grass known here as hashish, more on
http://egyptplants.blogspot.com/2010/01/hashish-in-egypt.html

date palm tree

grass this one can grow as high as 5foot. grows on the banks of the canals

Papyrus grass

Grass seed head

bull rush notice the twin heads on some stems

Doves foot cranes bill, this is now in almost every field here.

Corn flowers

Morning glory about 4" diameter

Wild morning glory 2" diameter,

The fever tree blossom.

Mallow tree

The bee shot was taken from this plant
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Plants along the nile

2010-05-22T22:44:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest bunches of bananas I have seen.

these trees are used as shade

another new plant for me

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blue,purple and white bells from my garden in wales

2010-05-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

Welsh poppies these grow wild in my home garden in wales these photos where taken by my wife with on Ipod phone, just goes to show some are natural photographers.

the bells are very late this year we inherited the white bell plants with our house purchase in 1991. the bluebells where brought in when I did an extension on a house in Aberhafesp village.
the garden was a mass of blue and purple. when we started the excavations for the footings.
never thought they would survive being moved in full bloom but with care they servived as you can see from today's photos.

May flowers. Canna blooms

2010-05-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

Canna plant

This year this nursery garden does not seem as well tended as last year. i have not seen this many black jack plant in one place not even on scrub land.

Another Canna bloom

and some times there is a bloom worth taking a photo of . like these next four photos.

Or even a whole bed of pink and red blooms

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Canna bloom

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Canna bloom
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This tree has beautifull red flowers in March now the leaf shapes look like green butterflies

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one flower from the tree this acacia flowers almost all the year
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Hibiscus ornamental flowers of which there is seven verieties,

The hibiscus plant unlike the flowering hibiscus this plant has no open blooms and is picked for its flower petals to make the hibiscus drink.

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The lufer plant I took one of the seeds out of the dying plant'
this particular plant is the one on here .and has been cut from near the root

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But not before one of the birds picked one of the seeds and dropped it near the mother plant. one is growing up this electricity pylon and another is growing up one of the nearby palm trees.

Papya tree and blossom both the trees survived the demolition on Banana island.

eye catching plants

2010-05-04T09:55:00.000-07:00

mango fruit

The flower of the obrogine plant

Did not know where else to put this
the stone ball inside the outer flint stone is perfectly round. I would have brought it back with me but it was too heavy the ball polished up would have made a nice display stone.

Fig tree

2010-05-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

Morning glory growing on the fig tree.

Thistle blooms

2010-05-03T11:04:00.000-07:00

Thistle flower

Above the Datura plant (angel trumpet)
This is some type of conifer?

and this seems to be one of the thistle family

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2010-04-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

Flowers by the Nile

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another colour of hibiscus flower,

Sun flower

Nile valley sun bird feeding on the nectar from the mallow plant
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The yellow flower of the cactus

Tiny Pea flowers

another tiny flower

I am told this is the cornflower

pomogranite fruit

2010-04-23T03:28:00.000-07:00

Pomigranite flower and the starting of new fruit.

another bloom of morning glory

Ixea
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Black jack plant

2010-04-23T00:38:00.000-07:00

A hover fly on the flower of the black jack plant

This black jack plant grows all the year round here in Egypt the first photo is of a young Large white egret while foraging got its neck plumage covered in black jack hook seeds

not only the birds get covered in thes barb seeds my legs some times get covered in them especially when taking photos of the dragonflies.

I could not resist this photo of what seemed to be a dead trunk of the Fever tree with all its weavel bore holes and no bark most likely been rubbed of by cattle and donkeys that have been tethered to it at one time or another. you only realize its still a living tree when you look up and see all the new foilage and all the birds that feed on its seeds during the day.

Cacti flower Near the law courts of Luxor

2010-04-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

1500 lawyers 12 judges plus all the crooks including the police get to see this beautifull flower, thats if they can lift the nose off the ground, I wonder how many have noticed this plant.
the on duty guard gave me a very inquisitive look but no one else noticed the mad welshman taking photos of a cactuss flower. such beauty amongst all this evil.

its also one of the only plants the Muslims put on the graves. I took a distant shot of a bloom in the Sheik Aly Musa Mosque graveyard this last week. another one of these plants on the promanade has my name engraved on it . not by me but someone who could spell tony.

Gardens in Luxor

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plants of egypt

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Butterflies are on http://insectsonwings.blogspot.com/

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Flowers of the Nile valley

2010-04-17T23:29:00.000-07:00

The Nile lilly no one has a real name for it so i will call it the nile lilly

Papya and Flower

Papya flower

the lettice seeds

another onr one of Egypts tiny flowers.

dandilion seed heads

mallow

Yellow cactus flower

Plants in the old Luxor Hotel gardens.

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Nile walk flowers and trees

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cactus flower

2010-04-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

I went to the srangest of places today, My walk what I thought was a back alley to the Nile river front led me through a cemetary. and this beautiful flower was on one of the graves,
the story of the walk will be on Nilelife1.

bullrushes

2010-04-13T01:52:00.000-07:00

Mushrooms or toadstools

2010-04-13T01:50:00.000-07:00

I know the names of some of the plants in Egypt most I havn't a clue what they are, all the flowers, trees, etc been taken on my daily walks around, Luxor Egypt.

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Cacti

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April flowers

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lots of Morning glory out in April

mallows are in full bloom

Marsh plants

2010-04-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

Any ideas

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Sun flowers

sunflower in the middle of the corn field.

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yellow and orange hibiscus flowers

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March plants & flowers

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Acasia

2010-03-23T10:38:00.000-07:00

one of the many verieties of Acasia blossom and seed

new date growth

Edibles

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Young mango

Young Guava,

seed head of the onion,

Lemon blossom. similar to the orange blossom but not as fragrant.

Date Palm tree

2010-03-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

top photo taken of the dates just after flowering from the fallen tree across the path.

sugar harvesting

Thistle in flower

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mallow

Aniseed

2010-03-15T06:22:00.000-07:00

Banana's e t c

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Camelthorn grows anywhere and everywhere no water needed the birds do not mind as it collects lots of insects usually its the Lark's that are around the thorn here we have the Plover

These are like palash in India

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Plumeria rubra and family& Apocynaceae

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Frangipani

Kigelia africana, Bignoniaceae,

2010-03-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

After much surfing and the lies being told yet again by the egyptians.
the tree I was told was a ficus benghalensis. It is the , Bignoniaceae, sausage tree.

I was in Cairo zoo 7/8/09 almost every tree in the park had its I d tag removed with the exception of the tree I wanted, so I took a photo of the tag and tree, it is quite rare but the Luxor agriculture guys were adamant this was the ficus benghalensis ( Banyon tree)
Kigelia africana, Bignoniaceae, sausage tree. Notice the large, showy flowers, the 5-lobed calyx and corolla, and the didynamous stamens. The corollas are leathery, which resists shredding by the clawed wings of bats that visit and pollinate this species in its native habitat in tropical west Africa. The flowers and the large, sausage-like indehiscent fruits that develop from them hang on long stems below and away from the limbs of the tree. Although not edible, the fruits are used in Africa as an external medication.http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/FACULTY/CARR/bignoni.htm

The ficus benghalensis tree is seen all over the place there is an avenue of this tree along the Nile corneesh near the British embassy" Ok" its similar but all the ficus has fruit in between the leaves on the stem. that is why I went to the bother of finding out what this tree was in Luxor.

March flowers

2010-03-05T10:11:00.000-08:00

Holy hock are now in bloom

all these plants are in the promanade garden in Luxor

not even a leaf on the Kopak tree but its trunk looks rather vicious

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Top tree in blossom below the same tree in seed. and at the same time of year,

Plant family Cactaceae

2010-02-27T22:33:00.000-08:00

One of the privet trees in flower.

Many colours of the Hollyhock plant around in February

also many verities of cacti

Luxor Egypt

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the kopak tree

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Herbal fruits

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There are some good spice stalls in the market area some are better than others and if the guy is not only there to take your money and knows what he is selling its quite a pleasant experiance . Like intrigued me why they sold these gourd fruits in the herbal section,
Now I know these are for rheumatic pain relief Cut the fruit in half and leave to dry into a powder then mix with oil and rub into the the infected muscles.

the lemon grass to the front is for a herbal tea for chest complaints the dark brown balls are atmrahindi another one for tummy upsets and makes a pleasant cool hot weather drink hot or cold.
The stuff that looks like tumble weed is to put in a glass bowl and while soaking lets off a pleasant aroma.
The white things that look like pieces of marble is used to soften the skin before shaving mix with hot water and apply to the face I what I was told ????
Click on these next 2 photo's most of the names are on the spices this is very well laid out and the names are on the jars etc but spices are best kept out of direct sunlight so not a stall I will be purchasing from.

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Hagag Mohamed Kassem, El Fashney Shop.
one of 4 brothers who own the hom calthoum coffee shop sells pipes and scarves
the price of the pipes range from 35 egp up to 200egp and as he expressly said not just as ornaments all can be smoked. ........and the reason this is getting a plug on here is you can smoke herbs in a sisha pipe normally the locals smoke tobacco leaves mixed with molasses and date oil or honey. but the flovours vary from most of the fruits grown in Egypt.

looking down the market towards my new home. in the tourist souk .

Plants in Luxor Centre

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This not sure what it is But I think its from the Asphodelaceae family. is in a garden area between the tourist and local fruit market in Luxor Centre.

The gardens in Luxor

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The only way you will get to see these gardens is if you chance not getting run over by passing traffic on this one of the busiest roads in Luxor. no walking in the gardens only by perimeter fence,

The loofa and its use

2010-02-06T01:09:00.000-08:00

The loofa's on sale on a spice stall in the Luxor Market (SOUK)
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one of several Old World tropical vines of the genus Luffa, having cylindrical fruit with a fibrous, spongelike interior. The dried, fibrous part of the loofa fruit, used as a washing sponge or as a filter.
I had seen a loofa plant before I came to Egypt while taking the shoe box presents around the village of Kitwi in the mountainous country on Kenya but that plant was small and only had a single fruit on . these plants in Egypt are abundant and seem to grow where ever there is a wall or a scrub tree to drape over this particular plant is hanging over a half of ones gate that is always closed. The lufer's can be bought all year round from the market stalls it seems this plant has flower and fruit at the same time so there fore or maybe it will just keep growing if looked after I,E not cut down.
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this one hidden in the undergrowth is about 2ft 6" long

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the lufer in seed but this one is rotting on the tree and will be of no use.

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this one if let to grow will make a good back scrubber its almost 2ft in length and is not yet ripe
it will expand in girth until the skin pops open. then picked and dried in the sun.

Take a walk

2010-01-31T01:26:00.000-08:00

next time you take a walk stop and look at some of the wondrous small plants and flowers we have this flower is a weed that grows on the banks of the ditches that carry water to the fields for inundation its 1/4" in diameter this blog has many plants including these tiny species

Nothing as pretty as a new acacia leaf

a bee in the loofa flower

Bloom of the another variety Kopak tree

poinsettia

2010-01-30T13:08:00.000-08:00

This poinsettia was over 3 meters tall

Jasmin in full blossom
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This garden in the desert village of New Gurna also had a range of fruit trees.
lemon,guava, fig,Mango banana trees do not grow in this part of the desert.

A young eucalyptus tree

Kapok (Ceiba pentandra)

2010-01-23T10:55:00.000-08:00

My first sighting of this dove in the Kapok tree

The tree in seed they look like Cucumbers.

With thanks from SAPhotographs (Joan) said... It is a Knob Thorn or Kapok Tree Tony. A very spectacular and beautiful tree. It eventually gets the big seed pods which burst open and the seed are very easily propagated.

I did a post on them a long time ago.

Kapok Tree ceiba pentandra

Kapok (Ceiba pentandra) is a tropical tree of the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae (previously separated in the family Bombacaceae), native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, and (as the variety C. pentandra var. guineensis) to tropical west Africa. The word is also used for the fibre obtained from its seed pods. The tree is also known as the Java cotton, Java kapok, or ceiba. It is a sacred symbol in Maya mythology.

The seed pod

The seed pod dispersing the seeds Mid January 2010

red roses

2010-01-21T22:52:00.000-08:00

Mango tree in blossom

Morning glory

Doum palm tree

Irish weeds

Looks similar to the lupin plant do not know why they grow this on the edge of the crop field
maybe to attract the bugs that will eat the crop. I know they do this for carrot crops.

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African Marigolds

tree rats

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Tree rats thats what I will call them they eat the seeds in the pods of this tree

one of the smallest flowers I have seen this had to be taken in macro/.

Bananas and Roses

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Lufer plant

They seem to grow wherever there is a wall to drape itself over.
or a tree to climb on.

Hashish In Egypt

2010-01-07T10:47:00.000-08:00

Grass locally named hashish its what the animals eat and is grown widespread. you can make what you like about it. and you will be right.
but this is ornamental grass. the kind the dragons, grasshoppers & bugs rest on and spiders make webs to catch those who come to rest on the grass.

Along the canal

Seed of the reed grass,

This is clover and what the Arabs call Hashish

Grass growing from the mud brick wall.

The little scrub warbler eating grass seeds.
http://egyptswildlife2.blogspot.com

The Avadavat (Amandava amandava) on the seed head of the papyrus plant http://egyptwildlife.blogspot.com/2009/11/adavant.html