Poaceae
Echinochloa

Echinochloa crus-pavonis (Kunth) Schult.

First published in Mant. 2: 269 (1824)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical & S. Africa, Assam to S. China and Indo-China. It is a perennial or annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome. It is used as animal food and a medicine and for food.

Descriptions

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton, S. M. Phillips & S. A. Renvoize. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1974

Morphology General Habit
Robust perennial (rarely annual); culms stout, 50–200 cm. high, often decumbent and rooting in mud at the lower nodes.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades broad, 15–60 cm. long, 5–25 mm. wide, thin in texture, often lush; ligule absent; sheaths smooth.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence large, loose, untidily ovate, 10–30 cm. long, the racemes mostly compound with short secondary branchlets; lowest raceme 3–15 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets elliptic, 2–3(–3.5) mm. long, hispid; lower floret ♂ or barren, acute to acuminate or with a short curved awn 1–3(–7) mm. long; upper lemma 2–2.5(–3) mm. long.
Habitat
Shallow water or swamps and streamsides; 800–2000 m.
Distribution
tropical and South Africatropical America K1 K6 T1 T4 T6 T7 T8 U1 U2 U3 U4
[FTEA]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 2500 m.; Andes, Guayana y Serranía de La Macarena, Llanura del Caribe, Valle del Cauca, Valle del Magdalena.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba
Conservation
No Evaluada
[CPLC]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora Zambesiaca 10:3. 1989

Morphology General Habit
Robust annual.
Morphology Culms
Culms 50–200 cm. high, stout, often decumbent and rooting in mud at lower nodes; ligule absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence large, 10–30 cm. long, loose, untidily ovate; racemes typically compound with short secondary branchlets but superior racemes of weaker plants simple; lowest raceme 3–15 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets 2–3(3.5) mm. long, elliptic, hispid.
Inferior
Inferior lemma acute to acuminate, or with a short curved awn 1–3(7) mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Lemma
Superior lemma 2–2.5(3) mm. long. Inferior lemma acute to acuminate, or with a short curved awn 1–3(7) mm. long.
Superior
Superior lemma 2–2.5(3) mm. long.
[FZ]

Gramineae, W. D. Clayton. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:2. 1972

Morphology General Habit
Erect annual 1–2 m. high
Ecology
Near water.
[FWTA]

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Culms geniculately ascending, or decumbent; robust; 50-200 cm long; without nodal roots, or rooting from lower nodes. Leaf-sheaths smooth. Ligule absent. Leaf-blades 15-60 cm long; 5-25 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes numerous; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 3-15 cm long; secondarily branched; secondary branches racemulose. Central inflorescence axis 10-30 cm long. Rhachis angular. Spikelet packing 4 -rowed. Spikelets solitary, or clustered at each node. Fertile spikelets sessile; 2-4 in the cluster.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; gibbous; acuminate; 2-3(-3.5) mm long; falling entire.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; gibbous; acuminate; 2-3(-3.5) mm long; falling entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; clasping; 0.3-0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3-5 -veined. Lower glume surface hispid. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume surface hispid. Upper glume apex cuspidate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets male, or barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; hispid; acute, or acuminate; awned. Awn of lower sterile floret 1-3(-7) mm long. Fertile lemma ovate; gibbous; 2-2.5 mm long; indurate; much thinner above; shiny; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acuminate; laterally pinched. Palea reflexed at apex; indurate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 0.5 mm long.
Distribution
Africa: west tropical, west-central tropical, northeast tropical, east tropical, southern tropical, and south. Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia and New Zealand. North America: south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, Caribbean, northern South America, western South America, Brazil, and southern South America.
Reference
Paniceae. FTEA.
[GB]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean, Guiana Shield, Caribbean. Elevation range: 0–2500 m a.s.l. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Bolívar, Cauca, Córdoba, Cundinamarca, Huila, Norte de Santander, Santander, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vichada.
Habit
Herb.
Conservation
IUCN Red List Assessment (2021): LC.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, native grassland, wetlands (inland), artificial - terrestrial.
[UPFC]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/100675065/100675080

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
alemán, barba de indio, barba roja, gramalote, liendra de puerco, liendre de puerco, moco de pavo, mono alemán, pasto alemán, pasto colorado, pata de gallo, peludo
[UNAL]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Uses

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Gene Sources
Used as gene sources.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0