Cultivated sugarcane is classified into the following species.
1) Saccharum officinarum

These canes are juicy and thin having higher percentage of sucrose, resistant to smut, but susceptible to red rot and mosaic diseases, cultivation is limited to tropical areas, having low percentage of fibre because of which they are more preferred for chewing purpose, variable in maturity, almost all commercial sugarcane varieties are from this group and almost all modern varieties have also the blood of this group.

2) Saccharum spontaneum

It is a wide Asian species with very thin stalks and narrow leaves. It is used for breeding purpose and containing very low sucrose, high fiber and having early maturity.

3) Saccharum barberi

Varieties belong to this type species are slender stemmed type that originated in Northeastern India. It is characterized by short and thin stalks, narrow leaves, low to medium sucrose (moderate), high fiber, very early maturity.

4) Saccharum sinense

This species of cultivated sugarcane is indigenous to northeastern India. This species is characterized by long and thin stalks, early maturity, broad leaves, and low to medium sucrose content. Internodes of this group are long and more or less zigzag and nodes are prominent, native China and used for breeding purpose.

5) Saccharum robustum

This species originated in New Guinea. It has some thicker stalks, larger leaves, low sucrose and low fiber.