Echinochloa crus-galli

Grows to 1 m tall with a compact terminal panicle, purplish in color, with distinctive bristles making the inflorescence appear hairy.

The seeds usually mature around August to September but can be found throughout the warm growing season. A single plant can produce up to 40,000 seeds. Roche' and Muzik (1964) found that germination was best at alternating temperatures of 20-30 C with light. Germination is improved with scarification (Martin 1943). Commercially produced seeds usually have a purity of 97 percent, a germination rate of 90 percent and should be planted at a rate of 20-25 lbs/acre. There are 155,000 seeds/lb.

Excellent waterfowl food (Holmes 1990). Is not a dependable forage plant although palatable.

A warm-season, tall growing, annual bunchgrass that reproduces by seed. It grows throughout the United States except for the driest regions. It grows on a variety of soils but requires moist sites. It can be found in ditches, old fields and other disturbed areas. It is an invader and can be quite weedy in crops, gardens, etc. It is palatable to livestock but is not a reliable producer of forage. A ubiquitous weed found throughout temperate and warm areas of the world. The Acadian French name for barnyard grass is "riz di l'ane" meaning "fool's rice" (Holmes 1990).

Low fields, marshes, disturbed loamy soils and waste places.