Echinochloa colona (L.) Link

English: Jungle rice

Mandarin: 光头稗 (guang tou bai)

Kingdom: Plantae (2715)

  Phylum: Tracheophyta (2630)

    Class: Liliopsida (397)

      Order: Cyperales (91)

        Family: Poaceae (73)(family description)

          Genus: Echinochloa (2)

            Epithet: colona (L.) Link (1)

Synonyms: Brachiaria longifolia Gilli, Digitaria cuspidata (Roxb.) Schult., Echinochloa divaricata Andersson, Echinochloa equitans (Hochst. ex A.Rich.) C.E.Hubb., Echinochloa subverticillata Pilg., Echinochloa zonalis (Guss.) Parl., Milium colonum (L.) Moench, Oplismenus colonus (L.) Kunth, Oplismenus cuspidatus (Roxb.) Kunth, Oplismenus daltonii (Parl. ex Webb.) J.A.Schmidt, Oplismenus margaritaceus (Link) Kunth, Oplismenus muticus Phil., Oplismenus pseudocolonus (Roem. & Schult.) Kunth, Oplismenus repens J.Presl, Orthopogon dichotomus Llanos, Orthopogon subverticillatus Llanos, Panicum brachiariaeforme Steud., Panicum brizoides L., Panicum caesium Hook. & Arn., Panicum colonum L., Panicum cumingianum Steud., Panicum cuspidatum Roxb., Panicum daltonii Parl. ex Webb, Panicum echinochloa T.Durand & Schinz, Panicum equitans Hochst. ex A.Rich., Panicum haematodes C.Presl, Panicum hookeri Parl., Panicum margaritaceum Link, Panicum musei Steud., Panicum prorepens Steud., Panicum pseudocolonum Roth, Panicum tetrastichum Forssk., Panicum zonale Guss., Setaria brachiariaeformis (Steud.) T.Durand & Schinz

brizoides => resembling Briza

caesium => referring to the color blue e.g. leaves

colona => colonist, cultivated as a cereal

cuspidata => with a sharp and rigid point

cuspidatum => with a sharp and rigid point

cuspidatus => with a sharp and rigid point

divaricata => straggly, sprawling, or spreading

echinochloa => hedgehog-grass, the glumes are often awned and the inflorescence congested, thereby resembling a hedgehog

equitans => horse riding

longifolia => having long leaves

prorepens => creeping forward

pseudocolonum => false column; resembling epithet colona

pseudocolonus => false column; resembling epithet colona

repens => creeping and rooting

Climate: tropical

Habit: herb

Flower colour: green

Check for Echinochloa colona at

World Flora Online, GBIF or IPNI

• [1101] Echinochloa colona - Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)
• [1150] Echinochloa colona - Plants For A Future
• [1739] Echinochloa colona - Flora of China @ efloras.org

• [13] Sauerborn E., Sauerborn J. (1985): Wichtige Unkrautarten der Tropen und Subtropen. Verlag Josef Margraf, Weikersheim, Germany.