Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv.

Synonyms

Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv. subsp. hispidula (Retz.) Honda
Panicum crus-galli L.

Family

Gramineae (South Australia)
Poaceae (Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory)

Common Names

barnyard grass, barnyard millet, barnyardgrass, billion dollar grass, California watergrass, chicken panic, cocksfoot panicum, cockspur grass, cockspur, Japanese millet, panicgrass, watergrass

Origin

This species is present throughout the tropical, sub-tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world. Its exact origin is obscure, but it is thought to be native to parts of Europe and Asia.

Naturalised Distribution

Widely naturalised throughout most of Australia (i.e. in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, the ACT, Tasmania, South Australia, the southern and north-western parts of the Northern Territory and south-western Western Australia), and particularly common in the eastern and southern parts of the country.

Also naturalised on Lord Howe Island, on Norfolk Island and in many other parts of the world.

Notes

This species is a weed of waterways, swamps, wetlands and other damp habitats as well as crops, roadsides, disturbed sites and waste areas. It is regarded as an environmental weed in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. In south-eastern Queensland it is ranked among the top 200 most invasive plant species. It also appears on several local and regional environmental weed lists in New South Wales (i.e. in the wider Sydney and Blue Mountains region) and Victoria (i.e. in the Goulburn Broken Catchment and in Knox).

Common barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli) is generally of concern as an environmental weed in wetter habitats, and it is considered to be one of the principal weed species affecting freshwater wetlands in eastern Australia. For example, it is a common weed of freshwater wetlands on coastal floodplains in New South Wales, a plant community that is regarded as being endangered in this state. It is also present in wetter sites in arid regions (e.g. in Kinchega National Park in south-western New South Wales).