Echinochloa Phyllopogon

(formerly E. oryzicola), an annual plant of the family Gramineae. The stems reach a height of 120 cm. The leaves are rough and measure up to 1 cm across. The inflorescence is a panicle, and the one-flowered spikelets are distributed in groups of two, three, or four. E. phyllopogon grows as a weed in rice fields; it ripens at the same time as the rice. Its grains contaminate the soil and the seeds of rice; since its shoots resemble rice shoots, control of the weed in its early stages is difficult. In the USSR, E. phyllopogon is found in rice-growing regions, predominantly in the Caucasus, Middle Asia, and the Far East. The plant is often united with or is regarded as a subspecies of E. oryzoides.