The leaf stems are used for various purposes including making string, baskets, mats and traps and the leaves are used for thatching, and for wrapping objects.

The leaves are borne on petioles up to 80 cm (30 in) long, that sheath the stem for about half of their length.

The leaf blades are large and ovate, but asymmetrical, with rounded bases and pointed tips, the under surfaces sometimes being purplish.

[2] Marantochloa purpurea is native to tropical and subtropical, sub-Saharan Africa, its range extending from Sierra Leone to South Sudan, Ethiopia and Uganda, and southward to Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania,[1] at altitudes of up to 1,500 m (5,000 ft).

The pith from inside the stems is used to make brooms, and various parts of the plant are used in traditional medicine.