Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn., Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 2 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Cynosurus coracanus L; Eleusine africana Kenn.-O'Byrne; Eleusine indica subsp. africana (Kenn.-O'Byrne) S. M. Phillips

Common name(s): [more details]

English: caracan millet, finger millet, ragi, ragi millet

French: coracan, mil rouge, raggee

Hindi: mandua

Spanish: coracán, dagussa, mijo africano

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Annual; caespitose. Basal innovations flabellate. Culms erect; 60-200 cm long; 5-20 mm in diameter. Culm-internodes elliptical in section. Leaves mostly basal. Leaf-sheaths keeled; outer margin hairy. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blades conduplicate; 30-60 cm long; 6-12 mm wide. Inflorescence composed of racemes. Peduncle glabrous, or pilose above (at raceme base). Racemes 4-7; digitate; erect; linear, or oblong; incurved; unilateral; 3-8 cm long; 9-15 mm wide. Rhachis wingless; flattened. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; crowded; regular; 2 -rowed. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile. Spikelets comprising 3-9 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 5-10 mm long; persistent on plant. Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2-5 mm long; 0.6-0.7 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; winged on keel; 1-3 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 3.5 mm long; 0.8-0.9 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; winged on keel; 5-7 -veined. Upper glume apex acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate in profile; 4 mm long; membranous; 3 -veined (excluding subsidiaries). Lemma midvein with contiguous subsidiary veins (3-veined). Lemma apex acute. Palea 0.9-1 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped. Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy. Caryopsis with free soft pericarp; orbicular; isodiametric; biconvex; exposed between gaping lemma and palea at maturity; 1.5-2.5 mm long; dark brown; rugose"  (GrassBase).

Habitat/ecology:  (no habitat/ecology info known by PIER)

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Africa and Yemen (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1979) (p. 305) Vouchers cited: DA 2737, DA 2801, DA 3949, DA 8473
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 192) Rare if persisting at all.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 41)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (p. 65)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Harvard University (2007) "Cultivated cereal crop".
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (p. 65)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (p. 65)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast and Florida) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2009)

Additional information:
Information from James A. Duke. 1983. Handbook of Energy Crops. unpublished.

Additional online information about Eleusine coracana is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Eleusine coracana as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Eleusine coracana may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

Other Latin names:  Cynosurus coracanus L; Eleusine africana Kenn.-O'Byrne; Eleusine indica subsp. africana (Kenn.-O'Byrne) S. M. Phillips

References:

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1987. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian monocotyledonae. Micronesica 20:1-126.

Harvard University. 2007. Flora of China (online resource).

Smith, Albert C. 1979. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 1. 494 pp.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

U. S. Government. 2009. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2009. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2009. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Waterhouse, D. F. 1993. The major arthropod pests and weeds of agriculture in Southeast Asia. The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Canberra. 141 pp.