Habitat
Opened areas, wastelands, lawns, cultivated areas, old plantations, grassy roadsides, in natural open grasslands, sandy riverbanks, moist and semidry areas,
woodland margins. Specimen examined
PTU 17 BO; Kjellberg 674 BO; Posthumus 2707, 2366 BO; Lasut 186 , 192 WALL.
31. ECHINOCHLOA P. Beauv. Type: Echinochloa crusgalli L. P. Beauv. Ess.
Agrostogr. 53, 161, 1812. Ornithospermum Dumoulin. Fl. Bourg. 1: 495. 1782.
Panicum sect. Echinochloa P. Beauv. Nees. Fl. Bras. Enum. Pl. 21: 255. 1829.
Tema Adans. Fam. Pl. 2: 496. 1763; Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46: 215-224. 2003.
From the Greek echinos “a hedgehog, sea-urchin” and chloe, chloa “grass”, referring to the bristly spikelets, to the inflorescence branches.
Approximately 30 species, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australasia, Pasific, North and South America. Plant annual or perennial, herbaceous, prostrate, erect or decumbent,
sometimes rooting at the lower nodes, floating, stout and sometimes succulent, caespitose, with or without rhizomes. Nodes glabrous. Internodes solid or hollow.
Auricle absent. Sheaths open and compressed. Ligule present or often absent. Blades linear to narrow-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate. Plants bisexual, inflorescence terminal
and dense of racemes arranged along a central axis; hispidulous cuspidate or awned spikelets in 4 rows; short-stipitate and hispid spikelets plano-convex. Floret 2. Lower
floret sterile or male. Upper floret hermaphrodite. Glumes dissimilar; glumes and or sterile lemmas usually awned or sometimes mucronate or mucronulate; back of fertile
lemma adaxial. Palea present. Lodicule 2, joined or free and fleshy. Stamen 3. Ovary glabrous without the apical appendage. Stigma 2, red. Caryopsis small and
compressed. Common weed species, weeds of cultivated ground and arable land including
rice paddies, cultivate fodder, native pasture species, ornamental and decorative when in flower, more or less palatable to livestock, grain crop species. Usually associated
with wet or damp places, damp and ruderal habitats, open habitats, grasslands,
swamps, disturbed ground, rainforest, in water, ditches, marshes and marshy places, moist ground.
Key to the Species
1.a. Perennial; culms spongy; ligule a fringe of hairs ……….................................. …………………………………………………..31.3. Echinochloa stagnina
b. Annual; culms not spongy; ligule absent …………………………………….2 2.a. Racemes appressed; spikelets regular, ovate, or orbicular, up to 3 mm long;
upper glume surface pubescent …………………..31.1. Echinochloa colona
b. Racemes ascending; spikelets irregular, elliptic, 3-4 mm long; upper glume
surface hispid ………………………………….31.2. Echinochloa crus-galli 31.1.
Echinochloa colona L. Link. Hort. Berol. 2:209. 1833.
Brachiaria longifolia Gilli. Ann. Naturhist. Mus. 69: 39. 1966. Echinochloa divaricata Andress. Naturw. Reise Mossambique 2: 549. 1864.
Echinochloa equitans Hochst. ex A. Rich. C.E. Hubb. Explor. Parc Natl. Garamba 4: 47. 1956.
Echinochloa verticillata Berhaut. Mem. Soc. Bot. France 1953-54: 9. 1954. Milium colonum L. Moench. Methodus : 202. 1794.
Oplismenus colonus L. Kunth. Nov. Gen. Sp. quarto ed. 1: 108. 1815. Panicum incertum Bose ex Steud. Nomencl. Bot. ed.2 2: 258. 1841.
Plants annual, caespitose. Culms 10-100 cm long, geniculately ascending, or decumbent, branching at the lower part. Sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule absent.
Blades 5-30 cm by 2-8 mm, folded in the bud. Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes borne on a central axis, up to 3 cm long. Rachis angular. Spikelets packing
crowded, regular, 4-rowed; in pairs, or clustered at each node. Fertile spikelets sessile, 2-4 in the cluster, subequal; comprising of 1 basal sterile floret, 1 fertile florets,
without rachilla extension; ovate, dorsally compressed, gibbous, acute, or cuspidate, 1- 3 mm long, falling entire. Glumes dissimilar, reaching apex of floret, thinner than
fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate, 0.4 length of spikelet, no keels, 3-5-nerved, surface scabrous, apex cuspidate. Upper glume surface pubescent, apex cuspidate. Florets:
basal sterile floret male, with palea; lemma of lower floret similar to upper glume, ovate, as long as spikelet, membraneous, 5-nerved; fertile lemma ovate, gibbous, 2-3
mm long, indurate, shiny, no keel, 5-nerved; lemma margins involute, apex acute, laterally pinched. Palea reflexed at apex. Anthers 3
Notes
Found in Southwestern Europe, North Africa, Western Asia, Arabia, China, India, Indo-China, Malesia, Australasia, Pasific, North and South America. Grains
whitish eaten in times of scarcity, young plants and shoots eaten raw with rice, seed use as a millet, also cultivated, used for forage, heavily grazed in wet areas, food for
waterfowl and baboons, seeds can be cooked whole or ground into a flour and used as a mush or porridge, occurs in wetlands and moist soils, in or near water, rich soils,
open meadows, in swampy places and seasonally flodded, along the banks of lakes and rivers, grassland, marshes, coastal dunes.
Distribution at Sulawesi
North: Gorontalo; Bolaang Mongondow, Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park, Alt. 220 m, c. 0
34’ N 123 54’ E; Sangir, Taruna; Talaud, Karakelang, Alt. 5 m.
South: Makassar. Southeast: Buton Island, Kaboengka, Alt. 180 m. Habitat
‘Sawah’, ‘riviers overs’, patches of primary forest trees and secondary vegetation in grassland after recent deforestation, alluvial flat near river, terrain level, open
grassland. Specimen examined
Forsten
s.n. BO; Landbouwconsulent s.n. BO; leg.ign. 18 BO; PTU 39 BO; de Vogel Vermeulen 6847 BO; Kjellberg 256 BO; Leefmans s.n. BO;
Lam 3347 BO. 31.2.
Echinochloa crus-galli L. P. Beauv. Ess. Agrostogr. 1:53-, 161, 169, pl.11,
f.2. 1812. Echinochloa echinata Willd. P. Beauv. Ess. Agrostogr. : 53-, 161, 169. 1812.
Echinochloa glabrescens Kossenko. Bot. Mater. Gerb. Bot. Inst. Komarova Acad. Nauk SSSR 11: 42. 1949.
Echinochloa muricata P. Beauv Fernald. Rhodora 17198: 106. 1915. Echinochloa pungens Poir. Rydb. Brittonia 12: 81. 1931.
Echinochloa spiralis Vasinger. Fl. URSS 2: 739-740. 1934. Echinochloa zelayensis Kunth Schult. Mant. 2: 269. 1824.
Milium crusgalli L. Moench. Methodus 202. 1794. Orthopogon crus-galli L. Spreng. Syst. Veg. ed. decima sexta 1: 307. 1825.
Panicum pungens Poir. Encycl. Suppl., 41: 273. 1816. Pennisetum crusgalli L. Baumg. Enum. Stirp. Transsilv. 3: 277. 1816.
Plants annual. Culms 30-120 cm long, tufted, erect, and stout, base decumbent, no rhizome. Sheaths smooth, basal sheaths commonly purplish or reddish. Ligule
absent. Blades 8-35 cm by 8-20 mm. Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 5-12, borne along a central axis, ascending, unilateral, 3-11 cm long, with branchlets at
base of longer racemes. Central inflorescence axis 5-20 cm long. Rachis angular, with scattered hairs, scabrous on margins. Spikelets packing crowded, irregular, 2-4-rowed;
in pairs or clustered at each node. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled, 2-4 in the
cluster, subequal. Pedicels oblong, 1-2 mm long. Fertile spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets, 1 fertile florets, without rachilla extention; elliptic, dorsally compressed,
gibbous, acuminate, 3-4 mm long, falling entire. Glumes dissimilar, reaching apex of florets, thinner than fertile lemma; lower glume oblate, 0.4 length of spikelet, no keels,
3-5-nerved, surface scabrous, apex cuspidate; upper glume ovate, membraneous, no keels, 5-nerved, surface hispid, apex cuspidate. Florets: basal sterile florets male, with
palea; lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume, ovate, as long as spikelet, membraneous, 5-7-nerved, hispid, acuminate, muticuous; awn of lower sterile floret
terminal, up to 5 cm long; fertile lemma ovate, gibbous, 2-3 mm long, indurate, shinny, no keel, 5-nerved, margins involute, apex acute, laterally pinched. Palea
reflexed at apex. Anthers 3, 1 mm long.
Notes
Found in Northern and Central Europe, North Africa, Siberia, Arabia, China, Mongolia, India, Indo-China, Malesia, Australasia, Pasific, Canada, United States,
Mexico, and Brazil. Grain water dispersed, edible seed, very polymorphic and pioneer grass, medicinal plant used in diseases of spleen, seldom grazed by animal, poor
grazing for wildlife and livestock, harsh and unpalatable at maturity, suitable for ensilage, roasted seed as a coffe substitute, young shoots eaten raw or cooked.
Distribution at Sulawesi
North: Gorontalo; Talaud, Karakelang, Kuala Bahewa, Alt. 15 m; Central: Palu, tusschen Kp. Sidaoenta en Tomado Lindu-meer, Alt. 1000 m; ten Oosten van het
Lindoe-meer, van kali tokararoe tot het meer, W. Heeling Goenoeng Ngilalaki, Alt. 1000 m. Southeast: Kendari, Poehara; Pendolo.
Habitat
Tolerates poor drainage and flooding, intolerant of dense shade and severe drought, usually occurs in wetlands and wet places, rich soils, in swampy ground,
brackish marsh, in freshwater swamps, in moist disturbed sites, in shallow water after drawdown, marshes, floodplains and along lakeshores and streambanks.
Specimen examined
Bloembergen 4182, 4045 BO; Kjellberg 707, 3705 BO; Eyma 4108 BO; leg.ign. 31 BO; Lam 3023 BO.
31.3. Echinochloa stagnina Retz. P. Beauv. Ess. Agrostogr. 53, 161, 171. 1812.
