Echinochloa crus-galli
Inflorescence of barnyardgrass (E. crus- galli )
The barnyardgrass ( Echinochloa crus- galli ) is a species within the family of grasses ( Poaceae ). It is widespread in Central Europe in fields and in gardens.
Description
When barnyardgrass is an annual herbaceous plant commonly achieved stature heights between 30 and 100 cm, under favorable circumstances and in high growth of up to 2 m. From an often highly branched base several stiff stems go first more or less horizontally, then more steeply ascending, from. The leaves are divided into leaf sheath and blade. The leaf sheaths are clearly flattened in this area. The leaf blade is 1 to 2 cm wide. A ligule absent or consists of at most a few tiny hairs.
The flowering period extends from July to September. The usually about 10 cm long inflorescence consists of a main axis from which, sometimes slightly downwardly depending, sham -eared (actually grape-like ) branch part inflorescences. These spikelets are in turn arranged in short racemose groups, which, however, usually are so close that they are not immediately obvious. Most spikelets are einseitswendig, so that one side of the pseudo-spikes axis is free. The spikelets are oval and shortly apiculate at a length of 2 to 3 mm. Often these purple are overcrowded. As the inflorescence axis, they are covered with short and stiff, often at the bottom also with rather long stiff hairs that can even extend beyond the spikelets. One of the husks wearing a short, up to several centimeters long awn.
Ecology
The barnyardgrass summer annual plant is sensitive to frost and strong; it dies after the first autumn frosts now. It is a C4 plant with malate as CO2 storage.
Biologically they are wind-pollinated flowers is the " Langstaubfädigen type ".
The fruits are caryopses. The spikelets fall when ripe usually as a whole from; the uppermost glume mucronate and pliable and serves as Velcro Velcro organ for spreading. In addition, the barnyardgrass is a wind spreaders, as well as by people spreading a culture companion. The seeds ripen from us only by long, warm summers; they are heat to germinate. Fruit ripening erfolfgt September-October. Since it is a heat Keimer, the young plants in Central Europe appear only in early summer.
Occurrence
The barnyard grass comes in areas with temperate and warm climates before on both hemispheres.
In Central Europe it is widespread and common and mainly grows on moist to wet and very nitrogen-rich soils, such as gardens or fields with heavy, waterlogged and heavily manured soil, like in manure pits, in the mud on roadsides or on the shores of eutrophic or hypertrophic waters. However, it does not rely on such soils and can also for example grow on sandy, dry soils. Since the barnyard grass grows very fast and makes many good viable seeds, they can be a pesky " weeds " especially in gardens.
Use
The barnyardgrass was collected at us because of the millet can be used as substitute fruit and sometimes also grown. In Russia it is still cultivated as a forage crop. The young shoots can be eaten as a vegetable.