shortawn foxtail (Alopecurus aequalis)
A common grass species found in wet places; the name literally means 'sparrow's gun'.
A lot of shortawn foxtail is growing on the ridges between the rice paddies.
Kanji spelling is rare; the plant name is usually written in kana.
Hiragana spelling, also used.
Literally 'sparrow's gun', from 雀 (sparrow) + の (possessive particle) + 鉄砲 (gun). The name likely comes from the resemblance of the flower spike to a small gun, or from children using the hollow stems as toy blowguns.