薏米 yi mi

Coix ma-yuen Romanet du Caillaud, Bull. Soc. Natl. Acclim. France, Sér. 2, 8: 442. 1881; Coix chinensis Todaro ex Balansa; C. chinensis var. formosana (Ohwi) L. Liu; C. lacry-ma-jobi subsp. ma-yuen (Romanet du Caillaud) T. Koyama; C. lacryma-jobi var. formosana Ohwi; C. lacryma-jobi var. frumentacea Makino.

Utricle thin, longitudinally striate, pale or dark brown, elliptical to subglobose, constricted to an apical beak, 8–12 × 4–9 mm, brittle and easily broken. Caryopsis white or yellow, oblong, 5–8 × 4–6 mm, rich in starch. Fl. and fr. Jul–Dec.

Roadsides, valleys, often cultivated; below 2000 m. Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Liaoning, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam].

This form with softer utricles is used as a food grain and for medicine. It also provides good forage.