Echinochloa frumentacea
4. Echinochloa frumentacea Link (syn.: E. colona (L.) Link var. frumentacea Ridley) (As.) – Now a fairly frequent and increasing but always strictly ephemeral alien, but less frequent than Echinochloa esculenta. According to Hanson & Mason (1985) it is a genuine alien that is not imported and sold as bird food (see however Mabberley 2008). Apparently first collected on the banks of river Ourthe in Angleur in 1973. Subsequently seen in several widely scattered localities and by now seen most years, sometimes in abundance. Echinochloa frumentacea is usually found on dumps, along road verges and in urban areas. It is often very reluctant to flower and might pass unrecorded.
It is believed to have been derived from Echinochloa colona (contrary to Mabberley l.c.) and only differs from E. esculenta in inflorescence colour.
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Selected literature:
Clement E.J. (1981) Confusion between white and Japanese millets. BSBI News 27: 16-18.
Hanson C.G. & Mason J.L. (1985) Bird seed aliens in Britain. Watsonia 15: 237-252.
Lambinon J. (1993) Quelques données inédites sur des graminées adventices ou subspontanées en Belgique. Belg. Journ. Bot. 126: 3-12.
Mabberley D.J. (2008) Mabberley’s plant-book (3th ed.). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: XVIII + 1021 p.
Verloove F. & Vandenberghe C. (1994) Nieuwe en interessante graan- en veevoederadventieven voor de Belgische en Noordfranse flora, hoofdzakelijk in 1993. Dumortiera 58-59: 44-59.