Cockspur - Echinochloa crus-galli

Alternative names
Barnyard Grass
Description

This plant can grow to a metre or more in height and has long, flat leaves which are often purplish at the base. Most stems are upright, but some will spread out over the ground. Stems are flattened at the base. The seed heads are a distinctive feature, often purplish, with large millet-like seeds. The individual spikelets are 3 to 4 mm long and borne along one side of the panicle branches. The plant has long curving awns to 5 cm which give rise to the common name.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Waste places, rubbish tips, often near habitation.

When to see it

Flowers August to October.

Life History

Annual.

UK Status

An accidentally introduced species that has become widespread if occasional in Britain, being more common in the south.

VC55 Status

Infrequent in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 2 of the 617 tetrads.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Cockspur Grass, Cockspur
Species group:
Grasses, Rushes & Sedges
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Poales
Family:
Poaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
18
First record:
05/10/2013 (Calow, Graham)
Last record:
01/08/2023 (Calow, Graham)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

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