Japanese millet, Japanese Barnyard millet
Echinochloa frumentacea

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

A cereal or millet. It is an annual grass. The culms are robust. It grows 1-1.5 m tall. The leaf sheaths are smooth. The leaves are broad. The leaf blade is soft and narrow. It is 15-40 cm long and 1-2.4 cm wide. The edges are thickened and wavy. The flower is erect and sword shaped. It is 10-20 cm long. The racemes are 1-3 cm long and closely spaced and overlapping. The spikelets are greenish. The grains are oval and light brown to purple.

There are about 35 Echinochloa species. They grow in tropical to warm temperate regions.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It is cultivated in S China. It can grow in arid places. Tasmanian Herbarium. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Australia, Britain, China, East Africa, Europe, India, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Malawi, Middle East, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Pacific, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Tasmania, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The grains are used as food. They are cooked like rice or turned into flour. This is used in porridge or gruel. It is also boiled in milk. The young shoots are also eaten.

A cultivated crop plant.

Edible parts

Seeds, cereal

How it is grown

It grows quickly. It can be ready for harvest in about 6 weeks. It is used as a substitute crop if the rice crop fails.

Its other names

Local names

Bavto, Billion-dollar grass, Bonta chamalu, Bonta shama, Hie, Hu nan bai zi, Janglisama, Kudraivali pillu, Myet-thi, Oddalu, Samai, Samo ghas, Samul, Sanwa, Sanwak, Savai, Sawa, Sawan, Sawank, Shama, Shamula, Shyama, Shyamaka, Siberian Millet, Syama dhan

Synonyms

Panicum frumentacea Roxb.; Echinochloa colona var. frumentacea (Roxb.) Ridley; Echinochloa crusgalli var. edulis Hitchcock; Echinochloa crusgalli var. frumentacea (Link.) W.P. Wight; Osplismenos frumentaceus (Link.) Kunth.;