Echinochloa, Genus, crus-galli, Species,
- Genus & species
barnyardgrass
Overview
Echinochloa crus-galli is a warm-season annual grass forming clumps 1-5 feet (30-150 cm) tall, sometimes taller in rich wet soil, with stems that root at the lower nodes and often bend outward at the base. Leaf blades are flat, 4-20 inches (10-50 cm) long and 0.2-1 inch (5-25 mm) wide, smooth, with a whitish midrib and no ligule where the blade meets the sheath. The flowering panicle is 4-10 inches (10-25 cm) long, green to purple-tinged, branched, and crowded with bristly spikelets that may carry awns up to 2 inches (5 cm) long or be nearly awnless. Each plant produces hundreds to thousands of seeds in a single season. Growth is fast in warm weather, and plants complete the cycle from germination to seed in 6-10 weeks. The shallow fibrous roots pull up readily, but stem fragments can re-root in moist soil.
Native Range
Native to Europe and Asia, and naturalized worldwide in temperate and tropical regions. It grows in wet disturbed ground, ditches, pond margins, irrigated fields, and rice paddies, mostly below 6,500 feet (2,000 m).Suggested Uses
Not a planted ornamental; it is managed as a weed of rice, row crops, and wetlands. The seed is eaten by waterfowl and songbirds, and the foliage is grazed as forage where it is not controlled. It sometimes appears in restored wetland seed banks.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height1' - 5'
Width/Spread1' - 2'
Bloom Information
Flowers and sets seed from midsummer through autumn, mainly July to October in the Northern Hemisphere. The panicles emerge over several weeks as new stems develop. Seed shedding begins within a few weeks of flowering and continues until frost kills the plant.
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
green to purpleFoliage Description
greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Water & Climate
Water Needs
