Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) is a popular fodder grass of the tropics suited to the agro-climatic conditions of Kerala. It can be profitably grown as a component of agro-forestry systems and comes up well under coconut and other trees. As an excellent fodder it is much valued for its high productivity, palatability and good persistence.

It is a perennial bunch grass, 0.5 to 4.5 m high. The stem is stout to slender, erect or ascending, glabrous or hairy. Leaves are 10 to 100 cm long and 3.5 cm wide. Panicle loose and much branched, the lower most branches being in a distinct whorl. The small seeds are enclosed in smooth glumes. The seeds shatter. The root system is deep, dense and fibrous.