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Rough American Barnyard Grass

Echinochloa muricata var. muricata

Found in interdune wetlands, various other wet to damp habitats. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 71%

Height
Up to about 5 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Moist to wet

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual
Bloom
July to October

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 23 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Coastal dunes and beaches

Open sand of beaches, dunes and the hollows between them.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

7CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Echinochloa

  • Ancyloxypha numitorLeast Skipper
  • Dargida diffusaWheat Head Armywotm Moth
  • Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
  • Lerema acciusClouded Skipper, Corn Leaf tier
  • Lerodea eufalaEufala Skipper, Gray Skipper, Rice Leafroller
  • Polites themistoclesTawny-Edged Skipper
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
21BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Echinochloa

  • Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
  • Aix sponsaWood Duck
  • Anas creccaGreen-winged Teal
  • Anas platyrhynchosMallard
  • Anser albifronsGreater White-fronted Goose
  • Aythya collarisRing-necked Duck
  • Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
  • Calcarius pictusSmith's Longspur
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Cardinalis cardinalisNorthern Cardinal
Show all 21
  • Dendrocygna autumnalisBlack-bellied Whistling-Duck
  • Dendrocygna bicolorFulvous Whistling-Duck
  • Dolichonyx oryzivorusBobolink
  • Mareca americanaAmerican Wigeon
  • Mareca streperaGadwall
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Molothrus aterBrown-headed Cowbird
  • Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
  • Porzana carolinaSora
  • Rallus elegansKing Rail
  • Spatula discorsBlue-winged Teal
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Poaceae
Flower color
Green, purple or brown

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “July to October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “Green, purple or brown” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Height · “Up to about 5 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Life cycle · “Annual” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Soil · “Moist; Wet (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankNot available
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources