A tall grass plant grown for its sweet sap. The sap is used to make sugar. Two types of sugarcane are thought to have grown naturally in Israel and the surrounding areas. One type, Saccharum sara, is known to grow only in Lebanon. The other native type is Saccharum biflorum, which grows along ditches and streams. It grows from Syria and Lebanon through Israel and the surrounding areas, and south to Stony Arabia and the Sinai. This may be the wild cane familiar to the Jewish people.
Most experts, however, believe that the "sweet cane" mentioned in Isaiah 43:24 was the true sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum). This plant is believed to have come from the tropical areas of the eastern part of the world. People have grown this plant since ancient times, and it is not known to grow wild anywhere today. It is a tall, thick perennial grass that looks similar to maize (corn). It has many jointed stems and a large, feathery cluster of flowers at the top.