Echinochloa crus-galli
Barnyard Millet
an annual member of the Echinochloa genus in the family Gramineae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Gramineae
- Genus
- Echinochloa
- Life cycle
- annual
- Height
- 1.2 m
- Spread
- 0.15 m
- Fertility
- Wind
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
- Pollinators
- Wind
Uses
Toxicity
Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
This grass has been reported to accumulate levels of nitrate in its tissues high enough to be toxic to farm animals[13]. This problem is most likely to occur when plants are fed with inorganic fertilizers[K].
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - cooked[14][16][2][5]. Used as a millet, it can be cooked whole or be ground into a flour before use[8][12]. It has a good flavour[17] and can be used in porridges, macaroni, dumplings etc[8]. The seed is rather small[4], though fairly easy to harvest. It has a somewhat bitter flavour[7]. Young shoots, stem tips and the heart of the culm - raw or cooked[3][6]. A nutritional analysis is available[9]. The roasted seed is a coffee substitute[6].
- Product or use
- Coffee
- Plant part
- Leaves
- Plant part
- Seed
Medicinal uses
Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Reported to be preventative and tonic, barnyard grass is a folk remedy for treating carbuncles, haemorrhages, sores, spleen trouble, cancer and wounds[13]. The shoots and/or the roots are applied as a styptic to wounds[9][11]. The plant is a tonic, acting on the spleen[9][11].
- Product or use
- Styptic
- Product or use
- Tonic
Material uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
The plant is sometimes used, especially in Egypt, for the reclamation of saline and alkaline areas[13].
Environment
- Range
- Native habitat is unknown but it is widespread in warmer regions occasionally introduced in Britain.
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- no shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 6+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerances
- high wind
- Wind
- Yes
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer. A sowing in situ in late spring might also succeed but is unlikely to ripen a crop of seed if the summer is cool and wet.
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
An easily grown plant, it is adapted to nearly all types of wet places, and is often a common weed in paddy fields, roadsides, cultivated areas, and fallow fields[13]. It succeeds on a variety of wet sites such as ditches, low areas in fertile croplands and wet wastes, often growing in water[13]. It succeeds in cool regions, but is better adapted to areas where the average annual temperature is 14-16°C[13]. Tolerant of most soil types, including saline conditions, plants are not restricted by soil pH[13]. Prefers a rich moist soil[17] but succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1]. The sub-species E. crus-galli zelayensis (HBK)Hitchc. is often found growing wild in alkaline soils[10]. The plant is reported to tolerate an annual precipitation in the range of 31 to 250cm, an annual temperature range of 5.7 to 27.8°C and a pH in the range of 4.8 to 8.2[13]. Barnyard millet is sometimes cultivated for its edible seed in India[5]. It has a relatively long growing season and does not always ripen its seed in Britain, though it should do better in the eastern half of the country[K]. The plant is considered to be a very serious weed of many cultivated crops[13].
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00
Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-00-634436-4
McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-253-28925-4
Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00
Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169
Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Hitchcock. A. S. Manual of the Grasses of the United States Dover Publications. New York. 1971-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22717-0
Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00
Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - 1983-00-00
The Herb Society Herbal Review. Vol.11. 4. The Herb Society 1986-00-00 ISBN 0264-9853
? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00
Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health 1973-00-00
Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967-00-00 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9