jungle rice

Family

Poaceae

Scientific Name

Echinochloa colona

Other Common Names:

water grass

Synonyms (former Scientific Names):

Panicum colonum

Habit

Junglerice, a summer annual grass, is 2 to 3 feet (60 - 90 cm) tall. Widely distributed throughout California, it infests all summer annual crops and waste areas.

Leaves

Leaf sheath is smooth, margins free in upper part and basal portion of sheath is often tinged with red. Leaf blade is smooth, flat, linear lanceolate, flaccid, up to 10 in long, 3-7 mm wide, sometimes transverse purple bands.

Identifying Characteristics

Junglerice is propagated by seed. In the tropics, seed has little or no dormancy and germinates throughout the year when moisture is available. The weed is not easy to control in rice areas. The most common and selective method of control has been the use of herbicides, such as propanil, thiobencarb, and butachlor in early post-emergence treatments.

Flower Seed Head

The inflorescence of E. colona is green to purple, ascending panicle, 2-4 in long with 4 to 8 simple, short, compact branches up to an inch long, 3-4 mm wide, ascending or oppressed about half their own length apart.