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Eleusine indica - (L.)Gaertn.

Common Name Wire Grass, Indian goosegrass, Yard Grass, Goose Grass
Family Poaceae or Gramineae
USDA hardiness 8-11
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Roadsides and waste places[50, 74].
Range Tropics. Naturalized in S. Europe[50].
Edibility Rating    (3 of 5)
Other Uses    (1 of 5)
Weed Potential Yes
Medicinal Rating    (1 of 5)
Care (info)
Half Hardy Moist Soil Full sun
Eleusine indica Wire Grass, Indian goosegrass, Yard Grass, Goose Grass


http://www.hear.org/starr/
Eleusine indica Wire Grass, Indian goosegrass, Yard Grass, Goose Grass
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Tau%CA%BBolunga

 

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Summary

Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Late summer, Mid summer. Form: Spreading or horizontal.


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Eleusine indica is a ANNUAL growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9. It is in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Wind.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Plant Habitats

 Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves  Root  Seed
Edible Uses:

Seed - cooked[55, 74, 106]. The seed is rather small[159], it is sometimes used as a famine food[177]. Used as a millet, it can be cooked whole or ground into a flour and used in making cakes, gruels etc[183]. Young seedlings - raw or cooked and used as a side dish with rice[46, 61, 105, 177, 183]. Root - raw[177].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Depurative  Diaphoretic  Diuretic  Febrifuge  Laxative

The whole plant, but especially the root, is depurative, diuretic, febrifuge, laxative and sudorific[240, 283]. It is also used in the treatment of liver complaints[240, 283]. The plant is a component of the 'basic remedy' in Vietnamese traditional medicine, it is also used in the treatment of influenza, hypertension, oliguria and retention of urine[283]. The plant can be used fresh or dried[266].

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

Basketry  Paper  Weaving

The stems are used to make mats, baskets etc[46, 61, 74]. The plant is suitable for paper manufacture[74].

Special Uses

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil in a sunny position[200]. This species is the probable ancestor of E. coracana, a species that is cultivated for its seed. A polymorphic species. Special Features: Invasive, Naturalizing.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

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Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

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Plant Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out in late spring after the last expected frosts[162, 200]. The seed can also be sown in mid to late spring in situ[200], though if the summer is cool it might not ripen its seed[K].

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

TEMPERATE ASIA: Oman, Yemen, China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan TROPICAL ASIA: Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Indochina, India (Andaman and Nicobar Islands), Myanmar AFRICA: Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan (south), Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte D‘Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Eswatini, South Africa (Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal), Madagascar

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Eleusine coracanaFinger Millet, African finger milletAnnual0.3 8-11  LMHNM42 
Eleusine tocussa Annual0.8 -  LMHSNM10 

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

(L.)Gaertn.

Botanical References

5074200

Links / References

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