Echinochloa stagnina
Encyclopedia
Echinochloa stagnina is a species of Echinochloa
widespread in tropical Africa
and Asia
, with an invasive status in many Pacific islands
.
It was once one of the major grasses cultivated in the central delta of the Niger River
. It was cultivated by the Fulani
people, who used the seeds as food, and to make both alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. It tolerates floods well, and has been replanted in Africa, where it has helped to control erosion and provides hay for animals.
Local names:
Echinochloa
Echinochloa is a grass genus, some of whose members are millets grown as cereal or fodder crops. The most notable of these are Japanese Millet in East Asia, Indian barnyard Millet in South Asia and Burgu Millet in West Africa...
widespread in tropical Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, with an invasive status in many Pacific islands
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
.
It was once one of the major grasses cultivated in the central delta of the Niger River
Niger River
The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...
. It was cultivated by the Fulani
Fula people
Fula people or Fulani or Fulbe are an ethnic group spread over many countries, predominantly in West Africa, but found also in Central Africa and Sudanese North Africa...
people, who used the seeds as food, and to make both alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. It tolerates floods well, and has been replanted in Africa, where it has helped to control erosion and provides hay for animals.
Local names:
- Laotian: ປ້ອງ pɔ̂ːŋ.