Taxon:  Echinochloa esculenta (A. Braun) H. Scholz (Echinochloa crus-galli Esculenta Group)



Summary
Genus:
Echinochloa
Family:
Poaceae (alt. Gramineae)
Subfamily:
Panicoideae
Tribe:
Paniceae
Subtribe:
Boivinellinae
Nomen number:
317845
Place of publication:
Taxon 41:523.  1992
Comment:
or Echinochloa crus-galli Esculenta Group
Verified:
12/01/1992 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
5 (5  active, 3  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Panicum esculentum A. Braun

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv. subsp. utilis (Ohwi & Yabuno) T. Koyama
Echinochloa utilis Ohwi & Yabuno

No images


Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
  2. Botanical Society of the British Isles. BSBI taxon database (on-line resource).
  3. Erhardt, W. et al. 2002. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 17. Auflage Note: = Echinochloa utilis
  4. FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
  5. Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
  6. International Seed Testing Association. 1982. A Multilingual Glossary of Common Plant-Names 1. Field crops, grasses and vegetables, ed. 2.
  7. Ishikawa, G. et al. 2013. Molecular characterization of spontaneous and induced mutations in the three homoelogous waxy genes of Japanese barnyard millet [Echinochloa esculenta (A. Braun) H. Scholz]. Molec. Breed. 31:69-78. Note: waxy genes "are responsible for amylose production", this study examined these genes in three cultivars since there are preferences for selecting low amylose strains
  8. Koyama, T. 1987. Grasses of Japan and its neighboring regions Note: = Echinochloa crus-galli subsp. utilis
  9. Lazarides, M. & B. Hince. 1993. CSIRO Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia Note: = Echinochloa utilis Ohwi & Yabuno
  10. Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2
  11. Morrone, O. et al. 2012. Phylogeny of the Paniceae (Poaceae: Panicoideae): integrating plastid DNA sequences and morphology into a new classification. Cladistics 28:333-356. Note: together with Echinochloa colona clustered in a basal position sister to other members of subtribe Boivinellinae, a position previously uncertain when using a nuclear gene-marker, here "attributed to hybridization or reticulation events"
  12. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  13. Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
  14. Scholz, H. 1992. Echinochloa esculenta, comb. nov. - the correct name of the Japanese barnyard millet (Gramineae). Taxon 41:522-523.
  15. Sood, S. et al. 2015. Barnyard millet - a potential food and feed crop of future. Pl. Breed. (New York) 134:135-147.
  16. University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. UC SAREP on-line cover crop database (on-line resource).
  17. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
  18. Yabuno, T. 1962. Cytotaxonomic studies on the two cultivated species and the wild relatives in the genus Echinochloa. Cytologia 27:296-305. Note: based on a previous study reporting x=9 for Echinochloa the cytology of wild and cultivated E. crus-galli were recognized as hexaploids
  19. Yabuno, T. 1987. Japanese barnyard millet (Echinochloa utilis, Poaceae) in Japan. Econ. Bot. 41:484-493. Note: = Echinochloa utilis; recognized "Japanese barnyard millet" as derived from E. crus-galli
  20. Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:220.
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
EnglishJapanese barnyard millet  1Scholz, H. 1992. Echinochloa esculenta, comb. nov. - the correct name of the Japanese barnyard millet (Gramineae. Taxon 41:523.
EnglishJapanese millet  1Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Englishwhite millet  1Botanical Society of the British Isles. BSBI taxon database (on-line resource).
Chinesezi sui bai紫穗稗 2Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Frenchmillet Japonais  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Germanjapanische Hirse  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Germanjapanische Hühnerhirse as Echinochloa utilis2Erhardt, W. et al. 2002. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 17. Auflage Note: = Echinochloa utilis
Italiangiavone miglio giapponese  2International Seed Testing Association. 1982. A Multilingual Glossary of Common Plant-Names 1. Field crops, grasses and vegetables, ed. 2.
Japanese Rōmajihie as Echinochloa crus-galli subsp. utilis2Koyama, T. 1987. Grasses of Japan and its neighboring regions Note: = Echinochloa crus-galli subsp. utilis
Portuguese (Brazil)capim-arroz  2Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Spanishmijo japonés  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Swedishjapansk hönshirs  2Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
2CultivatedAfrica Africa  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa. Note: mentions
2CultivatedAsia-TemperateChinaChina  Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
2CultivatedAsia-TemperateEastern AsiaJapan  Koyama, T. 1987. Grasses of Japan and its neighboring regions
2CultivatedNorthern America North America  FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
2CultivatedSouthern America South America  Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:220.
Cultivated
Africa
  • REGION: Africa
Asia-Temperate
  • CHINA: China
  • EASTERN ASIA: Japan
Northern America
  • REGION: North America
Southern America
  • REGION: South America

Reference(s)
  1. FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
  2. Koyama, T. 1987. Grasses of Japan and its neighboring regions
  3. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa. Note: mentions
  4. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
  5. Zuloaga, F. O. et al. 2003. Catalogue of New World grasses (Poaceae): III. Subfamilies Panicoideae, Aristidoideae, Arundinoideae, and Danthonioideae. Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 46:220.
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Animal foodfoddercultivated in Asia and "considered superior to rice and oat straw"Sood, S. et al. 2015. Barnyard millet - a potential food and feed crop of future. Pl. Breed. (New York) 134:135-147.
Animal foodforagefor hay or grown for grazing in Australia, China and the U.S.A.Sood, S. et al. 2015. Barnyard millet - a potential food and feed crop of future. Pl. Breed. (New York) 134:135-147.
Environmentalsoil improver University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. UC SAREP on-line cover crop database (on-line resource).
Human foodcerealas Echinochloa crus-galli subsp. utilisKoyama, T. 1987. Grasses of Japan and its neighboring regions Note: = Echinochloa crus-galli subsp. utilis (Ohwi & Yabuno) T. Koyama
Vertebrate poisonsmammalsphotosensitivity, as Echinochloa utilisConnor, H. E. 1992. The poisonous plants of New Zealand.
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=317845. Accessed 12 May 2026.