''Eleusine indica'', the Indian goosegrass,
yard-grass,
goosegrass, wiregrass, or crowfootgrass, is a species of grass in the family
Poaceae. It is a small annual grass distributed throughout the warmer areas of the world to about 50 degrees latitude. It is an
invasive species in some areas.
''Eleusine indica'' is closely related to ''
Eleusine coracana
''Eleusine coracana'', or finger millet, also known as ragi in India, kodo in Nepal, is an annual herbaceous plant widely grown as a cereal crop in the arid and semiarid areas in Africa and Asia. It is a tetraploid and self-pollinating species ...
'' (finger millet or African finger millet), and the diploid ''E. indica'' is likely an ancestor of the allotetraploid ''E. coracana''.
Seeds of ''E. indica'' are edible and are sometimes used as a
famine food
A famine food or poverty food is any inexpensive or readily available food used to nourish people in times of hunger and starvation, whether caused by extreme poverty, such as during economic depression or war, or by natural disasters such ...
, but yields are low. It is an important weed of cultivated crops, lawns, and golf courses. It thrives in disturbed areas with compacted soils in full sun. Both tillage and herbicides are used in its control. This low-growing grass is capable of setting seed even when closely mown. Some populations have evolved resistance to certain
herbicides, including
glyphosate
Glyphosate (IUPAC name: ''N''-(phosphonomethyl)glycine) is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide and crop desiccant. It is an organophosphorus compound, specifically a phosphonate, which acts by inhibiting the plant enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshik ...
.
''Eleusine indica'' performs C
4 photosynthesis and therefore can grow in hot climates and in the hotter months of the temperate zone. Its seeds germinate later in spring than most other temperate zone weeds, such as
crabgrasses. Though usually considered an annual, it may survive for more than a year in climates not subject to frost.
References
External links
*
Jepson Manual TreatmentGrass Manual TreatmentPhoto galleryweedipedia.net
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1148930
Chloridoideae
Grasses of Africa
Grasses of Asia