Barnyard Millet, Barnyardgrass,
Echinochloa crus-galli

Family: Poaceae or Gramineae

What it is like

Echinochloa crus-galli is a ANNUAL growing to 1.2 m (4ft) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Wind. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Height (m): 1.2

Where it is found

Ditches roadsides and waste places in S. Europe. Wet places and rich soils in India.

Native habitat is unknown but it is widespread in warmer regions occasionally introduced in Britain.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Seed - cooked. Used as a millet, it can be cooked whole or be ground into a flour before use. It has a good flavour and can be used in porridges, macaroni, dumplings etc. The seed is rather small, though fairly easy to harvest. It has a somewhat bitter flavour. Young shoots, stem tips and the heart of the culm - raw or cooked. A nutritional analysis is available. The roasted seed is a coffee substitute.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Coffee: the various substitutes that can be used instead of coffee.

Medicine

Rating: 2

Reported to be preventative and tonic, barnyard grass is a folk remedy for treating carbuncles, haemorrhages, sores, spleen trouble, cancer and wounds. The shoots and/or the roots are applied as a styptic to wounds. The plant is a tonic, acting on the spleen.

Styptic: An astringent that stops bleeding by contracting the blood vessels.

Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.

Other

Rating: 0

The plant is sometimes used, especially in Egypt, for the reclamation of saline and alkaline areas.

Soil reclamation: Plants that can be grown in such circumstances an the spoil tips of mines in order to restore fertility.

How it is grown

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. It succeeds on a variety of wet sites such as ditches, low areas in fertile croplands and wet wastes, often growing in water. It succeeds in cool regions, but is better adapted to areas where the average annual temperature is 14-16°C. Tolerant of most soil types, including saline conditions, plants are not restricted by soil pH. Prefers a rich moist soil but succeeds in ordinary garden soil. The sub-species E. crus-galli zelayensis (HBK)Hitchc. is often found growing wild in alkaline soils. 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. Barnyard millet is sometimes cultivated for its edible seed in India. 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. The plant is considered to be a very serious weed of many cultivated crops.

Propagating it: 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.

Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Annual

Hardiness: 5-9

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

This grass has been reported to accumulate levels of nitrate in its tissues high enough to be toxic to farm animals. This problem is most likely to occur when plants are fed with inorganic fertilizers.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Panicum crus-galli