[5] The native range of the grass is probably in Asia, including China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

[6] It is now widespread outside its native range, having been purposely introduced to many regions, such as Australia, the Americas, the Pacific, and Africa.

At times they may extend along the ground for a distance, rooting where stem nodes contact the soil.

It withstands drought and disturbance, and it can sprout up in dry, degraded habitat, such as roadsides.

[4] Cultivars include 'Ghana Marvel 20', a high yield type developed in India, and the rust-resistant 'Dawson', 'Keppel', and 'Medway' from Queensland.

[4] It is sometimes planted with companions such as the grasses Cenchrus ciliaris, Urochloa mosambicensis, and Digitaria didactyla, and legumes such as Centrosema pascuorum, Chamaecrista rotundifolia, and Lotononis bainesii.

[4] A widely introduced species, it has become naturalized in many regions, and at times has become a noxious weed.

[4] This grass is host to many fungi, such as Balansia sclerotica, Claviceps purpurea, Physoderma bothriochloae, Puccinia cesatii, P. duthiae, Sphacelotheca tenuis, Stollia bothriochloae, and Uromyces andropogonis-annulati.