Jungle Rice
Echinochloa colona
Family: Poaceae or Gramineae
What it is like
Echinochloa colona is a ANNUAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in). 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. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 1
Where it is found
Waste places, cultivated fields and ditches in southern N. America where it is naturalized. A weed of damp places and irrigated fields in China.
Temperate sub-tropical and tropical zones.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Seed - cooked. Used as a millet. The seed can be cooked whole or ground into a flour and used as a mush or porridge. Young plants and shoots - raw or cooked. Eaten raw with rice.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 0
How it is grown
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it could succeed outdoors in many parts of this country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Prefers a rich moist soil but should succeed in ordinary garden soil.
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