Japanese Millet

Echinochloa frumentacea

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Not native

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

Profile 47%

Height: About 3.9 feet

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At a glance

Bloom: Late spring

Not yet recorded · Spread · Light · Soil · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 3 Virginia counties.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

8CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · 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
Limochores mysticLong Dash
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

What its natural habitat tells you

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

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “Late spring” · USDA PLANTS via EOL TraitBank · Nationwide approximate species characteristics; tolerance categories do not specify sun hours or moisture requirements
Height · “About 3.9 feet” · USDA PLANTS via EOL TraitBank · Nationwide approximate species characteristics; tolerance categories do not specify sun hours or moisture requirements

Also known as

Billion Dollar Grass

Conservation status

Virginia rank	SNA
Global rank	Not available
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source

Native alternatives

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