''Eleusine indica'', the Indian goosegrass, yard-grass, goosegrass, wiregrass, or crowfootgrass, is a species of grass in the family

Poaceae Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...

. It is a small annual grass distributed throughout the warmer areas of the world to about 50 degrees latitude. It is an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

in some areas. ''Eleusine indica'' is closely related to '' Eleusine coracana'' (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 as ...

, 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

herbicide Herbicides (, ), also commonly known as weedkillers, are substances used to control undesired plants, also known as weeds.EPA. February 201Pesticides Industry. Sales and Usage 2006 and 2007: Market Estimates. Summary in press releasMain page fo ...

s, including glyphosate. ''Eleusine indica'' performs C₄ 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 Treatment

Grass Manual Treatment

Photo gallery

weedipedia.net
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1148930 Chloridoideae Grasses of Africa Grasses of Asia