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Echinochloa crus-galli
Also called Cockspur, Barnyard Grass, Cockspur Grass, Barnyard Millet, Cocksfoot Grass, Cockshin Grass, Cockspur Panic
Barnyardgrass is an annual wild grass, usually treated as a serious weed in fields and disturbed ground rather than a garden plant. It grows fast and up to about 1.5 m tall, so the key to 'growing' it is controlling it.
Echinochloa crus-galli is a species of wild grass originating from tropical Asia that was formerly classified as a panicum grass. It is commonly known as cockspur, cockspur grass, barnyard grass, barnyard millet, water grass, cocksfoot grass, cockshin grass. It is sometimes referred to using the general term, barnyard grass, which may refer to any species of the genus Echinochloa. This plant can grow to 1.5 m (5 ft) in height and has long, flat leaves which are often purplish at the base. Most stems are upright, but some will spread out over the ground. Stems are flattened at the base. The seed heads are a distinctive feature, often purplish, with large millet-like seeds in crowded spikelets.
Considered one of the world's worst weeds, it reduces crop yields and causes forage crops to fail by removing up to 80% of the available soil nitrogen.
Barnyard grass commonly occurs in Europe and throughout tropical Asia and Africa in fields and along roadsides, ditches, along railway lines, and in disturbed areas such as gravel pits and dumps. It also invades riverbanks and the shores of lakes and ponds. It occurs in all agricultural regions. This species is considered an invasive species in North America where it occurs throughout the continental United States. It is also found in southern Canada from British Columbia east to Newfoundland. It was first spotted in the Great Lakes region in 1843.
Jungle rice · Gulf cockspur grass · Japanese millet · Billion-dollar grass · Early Barnyard Grass · Early water grass · Creeping river grass · Hippo grass
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Echinochloa crus-galli by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
