Japanese Millet, Billion-dollar grass
Echinochloa frumentacea

Family: Poaceae or Gramineae

What it is like

Echinochloa frumentacea is a ANNUAL growing to 1.8 m (6ft) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in). It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from September 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. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Height (m): 1.8

Where it is found

Not known in a truly wild situation.

Native habitat unknown, possibly derived in cultivation from E. crus-galli.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Seed - cooked and used as a millet. The seed can be cooked whole or can be ground into a flour. Usually eaten as a porridge. The seed contains about 72.5% starch, 3.12% fat, 11.8% protein, 2.65% ash.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 1

The plant is useful in the treatment of biliousness and constipation.

Stomachic: Aids and improves the action of the stomach.

Other

Rating:

How it is grown

Prefers a rich moist soil but succeeds in ordinary garden soil. Japanese millet is sometimes cultivated in India and E. Asia for its edible seed, especially in areas where rice will not grow. There are some named varieties. Plants can produce a crop of seeds within 6 weeks of sowing in warmer areas of the world but obtaining a reasonable crop is more problematic in the cooler summers of Britain. The plants need to be started off early in a greenhouse in order to give sufficient growing time. They are also more likely to succeed in the eastern side of the country where the summers are usually warmer and drier.

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: 0-0

Growth:

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

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Panicum frumentacea.