Setaria adhaerans
Setaria sphacelata
bur bristlegrass, tropical barbed bristlegrass
African bristle grass
25-60 cm.
50-150 cm, flattened;
nodes glabrous.
glabrous throughout;
ligules 1-2 mm, of hairs, white;
blades usually less than 10 cm long, 5-10 mm wide, flat, broad basally, abaxial surfaces conspicuously strigose with papillose-based hairs, tapering abruptly at the apices;
bristles solitary, about 5 mm, retrorsely scabrous.
glabrous;
blades 15-50 cm long, 4-10 mm wide, flat, rather lax.
2-6 cm, verticillate, green to purple;
rachises retrorsely rough hispid.
5-25 cm long, 4-8 mm thick (excluding the bristles), densely spicate;
bristles 5 or more, 3-6 mm, usually orange to purple.
1.5-2.2 mm.
2.5-3 mm, elliptic-oblong.
about 1/2 as long as the spikelets, obtuse, 1(3)-veined;
upper glumes nearly as long as the spikelets, 5-7-veined;
lower lemmas equaling to slightly exceeding the upper lemmas;
lower paleas less than 1/2 as long as the spikelets, scalelike;
upper lemmas finely and transversely rugose;
upper paleas similar to the upper lemmas.
about as long as the spikelets;
upper florets staminate;
upper glumes Vi-A as long as the spikelets;
lower lemmas equaling the upper lemmas;
lower paleas equaling the upper paleas, broad;
upper lemmas finely and transversely rugose;
upper paleas similar to the upper lemmas.
= 18.
= 36, 54.
Setaria adhaerans
Setaria sphacelata
Setaria adhaerans grows in subtropical regions throughout the world. In North America, it is known from the southern United States, northeastern Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, and the Bahamas. The Californian record may represent a recent introduction.
Setaria adhaerans resembles the temperate S. verticillata, but differs in having shorter panicles, shorter spikelets, glabrous sheath margins, and papillose-based strigose hairs on the blades.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Setaria sphacelata is native to tropical Africa, but it has been found at a few scattered locations in the Flora region, often near a port. Clayton (1979) recognized five varieties of Setaria sphacelata. Those most likely to be introduced into the United States are Setaria sphacelata (Schumach.) Stapf & C.E. Hubb. var. sphacelata and S. sphacelata var. aurea (Hochst. ex A. Braun) Clayton, with var. aurea differing from var. sphacelata in having fibrous basal leaf sheaths and upper glumes that are often 3-veined.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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