USGS Home
Contact USGS
Search USGS

Barnyard Grass (Echinocloa crusgalli)

• Family: Grass (Poaceae)
• Flowering: June-November.
• Field Marks: This grass differs from the very similar wild millet by its soft-tipped lemmas.
• Habitat: Wet ground, usually in disturbed areas.
• Habit: Perennial herb with tufts of fibrous roots.
• Stems: Erect, smooth, branched or unbranched, up to 6 feet tall.
• Leaves: Long and narrow, up to 1 1/2 inches broad, usually slightly rough to the touch; sheaths smooth or with broad-based hairs.
• Flowers: 1 per spikelet, with many spikelets grouped to form spikes, the spikes in turn forming a panicle up to 1 foot long; spikelets ovoid, 1/6-1/4 inch long; lemmas with a soft tip, with or without a terminal awn.
• Grains: About 1/10 inch long.
• Notes: The grains are eaten by waterfowl.