 The sole species in the genus is Gynerium sagittatum, a tall grass that grows up to six metres (twenty feet) high.It is a very vigorous species that grows into a considerably dense mass of vegetation.The species is known as "cana-do-rio", "cana-flecha", "cana-frecha", "ubá" and "cana-brava" in Brazil, "caña brava" in Peru and Colombia, "chuchío" in eastern Bolivia, and "tañil" in Guatemala and other Spanish speaking countries.