Barnyard Grass / Yellow Foxtail mix
Echinochloa crus-galli / Setaria pumila · Warm-season, Annual, C4
Grass Family
Poaceae, subfamily Panicoideae
Grass Category
Weed Grass / Invasive / Pasture
Variety / Cultivar
Wild type / Uncultivated
Hardiness Zones
USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 10, completing its life cycle as a summer annual.
About This Grass
Tall, coarse weedy grasses forming dense stands with prominent seed heads, reaching heights of 2 to 5 feet when mature. Light to medium green foliage with rough-textured leaves.
Blade Characteristics
Coarse blades wider than 4mm, flat, pointed tips, rolled vernation in the bud, prominent midvein, lacking ligules or auricles in some barnyard variations, membranous-hairy ligule in foxtails.
Root System
Fibrous root system, moderate depth, rapid establishment from seed, no significant thatch.
Growing Information
Origin Region
Eurasia, now globally naturalized in agricultural and disturbed soils
Growth Habit
Bunch-type and spreading annual with upright and decumbent stems
Sunlight & Water Needs
Full sun required, high water needs in damp soils, moderate drought tolerance once established, thrives in moist, fertile soils.
Mowing & Maintenance
Usually controlled via herbicide or cultural removal rather than traditional lawn maintenance, as it functions as a weed in turf settings.
Special Characteristics
Low wear tolerance as an annual weed, high seed production, good competitive ability against desirable turf, excellent at colonizing disturbed wet soils.
Ecological Information
Introduced weed species globally, provides minimal wildlife food via seeds, often considered a noxious agricultural weed in crop fields and poorly managed turf.