Jungle rice
Echinochloa colona

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

An annual grass. It forms tufts. The stems are slender. It grows up to 60 cm high. Sometimes the plant has a purple tinge. In dry areas the stems can lie along the ground and root at the nodes. The leaves are narrow. They are 0.5-0.7 cm wide. The narrow towards the tip. The flower is yellow. The flower develops in the axils of the leaves. The flower has a rough texture. The flowering heads have several short thick spikes. These have 4 crowded rows of spikelets.

There are about 35 Echinochloa species. They grow in tropical to warm temperate regions. Chemical composition (Sudan sample): Protein (crude) = 10.6% (dry). Oil = 5.9% (dry). Fibre (crude) = 12.3% (dry). Ash (insoluble) = 8.7% (dry). Fibre (crude) = 12.3% (dry). Carbohydrate (soluble): Starch) = 51.1% (dry). Sucrose = 1.0% (dry). D-glucose = 0.4% (dry). D-fructose = 0.4% (dry). Amino acids (g [16g N]-1): Aspartic acid = 5.2g. Threonine = 3.5g. Serine = 4.7g. Glutamic acid = 25.3g. Proline = 8.2g. Glycine = 2.6g. Alanine = 10.3g. Valine = 5.8g. Cysteine = 0.8g. Methionine = 1.6g. Isoleucine = 4.6g. Leucine = 10.8g. Tyrosine = 4.3g. Phenylalanine = 6.9g. Histidine = 2.1g. Lysine = 2.1g. Arginine = 41.g. Fatty acids (g/100g) (saturated): 14:0 = 0.1g. 16:0 = 16.9g; (saturated): 18:0 = 3.1g. 22:0 = 0.3g. 24:0 = 0.2g.; (monounsaturated): 16:1 = 0.1g. 18:1 = 27.4g. 20:1 = 0.4g; (polyunsaturated): 18:2 = 50.5g. 18:3 = 1.0g. Minerals: Sulphur = 0.11% (dry). Potassium = 0.41% (dry). Magnesium = 0.22% (dry). Calcium = 0.05% (dry). Na = 0.01% (dry). K = 0.30% (dry). Zinc = 50 mg/kg-1(dry). Iron = 108 mg/kg-1 (dry). Manganese = 28 mg/kg-1 (dry). Copper = 4 mg/kg-1 (dry). Aluminium = 88 mg/kg-1 (dry). Chemical composition (after Paton & Dunlop) (grams per 100g): Protein = 10.68g. Fat = 5.20g. Carbohydrate (soluble) = 51.16g. Fibre = 14.68g. Ash = 7.35g. Water = 10.93g. Calories = 301.

Where it is found

It grows in temperate, subtropical and tropical zones. It grows in wet areas. It grows on clayey soils. It grows on black arable soils and near swamps and the edges of streams. It grows from sea level to 2,000 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places. In Argentina it grows from sea level to 1,700 m above sea level. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Africa, American Samoa, Angola, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Britain, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Caribbean, Caucasus, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Europe, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Himalayas, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kerguelen Island, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mariana Is., Marquesas, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, North America, Northeastern India, Oman, Pacific, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Rotuma, Rwanda, Sahel, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Socotra, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, Sudan, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tibet, Timor-Leste, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, Türkiye, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Uruguay, USA, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The seed is ground into flour and cooked for bread or porridge. Young shoots are eaten raw or cooked. The seeds are boiled and eaten as a substitute for rice. The seeds are ground into flour and then mixed with maize or beans before making bread. The seeds are sun dried then crushed and winnowed before being cooked with salt and eaten with beans. It is used in kreb a grain mixture eaten in Chad and Sudan.

It is cultivated.

Edible parts

Seeds, leaves, cereal, shoots, grain, stems, roots, vegetable

How it is grown

It can be grown from seed. Seed should be sown shallowly.

Its other names

Local names

Ahibary, Arrocillo, Awnless Barnyard grass, Be-sa-myet, Be-sar-myet, Borur, Canevao, Capim-arroz, Capim-carrapicho, Capimjau, Capituva, Cham, Diffra, Diffré, Difra, Djiba-djide, Gargaro, Gervao, Grama pintada, Gramilla de rastrojo, Hama, Homa, Hualcacho, Jangli sawuk, Jervao, Karumpul, Kereib, Liendre de puerco, Nhamo, Nhantandium, Othagaddi, Pachushama, Paja de puerco, Pakud, Pasto colorado, Pasto overito, Pazun-sa-myet, Queo, Queu, Sama, Sama banso, Samo, Sanwak, Sawa, Sawan, Sawank, Sawuk, Shama millet, Shama, Soma, Tani, Varsanam pillu, Wild rice, Winnbe-sa-myet, Wunba-sa-myet, Wun-be-sar, Wundu, Zari

Synonyms

Brachiaria longifolia Gilli; Digitaria cuspidata (Roxb.) Schult.; Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P Beauv. var. frumentacea (Link.) Trimen; Echinochloa colona (L.) Link var. frumentaceum (Roxb.) Ridley; Echinochloa divaricata Andersson; Echinochloa frumentacea (Roxb.) Link.; Oplismenus colonus (Linn.) H.B. & K.; Panicum colonum L.; and many others