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palmgrass

barbed bristlegrass, green foxtail

Habit Plants perennial. Plants annual.
Culms

1-2 m.

30-100 cm;

nodes glabrous.

Sheaths

strigose, margins with stiff hairs;

collars hispid;

ligules about 2 mm, of hairs;

blades to 50 cm long, 20-80 mm wide, plicate, tapering at both ends, abaxial surfaces sparsely strigose, adaxial surfaces short pubescent near the base.

mostly glabrous, margins ciliate distally;

ligules 1-2 mm, of hairs;

blades 5-15 mm wide, flat, abaxial surfaces scabrous, adaxial surfaces sparsely villous.

Panicles

to 40 cm, open;

branches 6-10 cm, loosely flexible, axes scabrous;

bristles solitary, usually present only below the terminal spikelet on each branch, occasionally below non-terminal spikelets, about 5 mm.

5-15 cm, tapering to the apices, branches verticillate;

rachises antrorsely rough hispid, without villous hairs;

bristles solitary, 4-7 mm, antrorsely or retrorsely scabrous.

Spikelets

3-4 mm, elliptic, acuminate.

2-2.3 mm.

Lower glumes

1/2 as long as the spikelets, obtuse, 3-4-veined;

upper glumes nearly equaling the upper lemmas, 7-veined, acute;

lower lemmas exceeding the upper lemmas, 5-veined, apices involute;

lower paleas nearly equaling the lower lemmas in length and width;

upper lemmas obscurely transversely rugose, yellow, apiculate.

about 1/3 as long as the spikelets, obtuse, 1(3)-veined;

upper glumes nearly as long as the spikelets;

lower paleas about 1/2 as long as the spikelets, broad;

upper lemmas finely and transversely rugose;

upper paleas similar to the upper lemmas.

2n

= 54.

= 36.

Setaria palmifolia

Setaria verticilliformis

Distribution
map from FNA
HI
[BONAP county map]
map from FNA
AL; DC; MD; MO; NJ; NY; PA; WI
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Setaria palmifolia is primarily an Asiatic species. It is a common species in Jamaica, and has been reported from scattered locations around the southern coast of the United States. In the Flora region it is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental for the conspicuous, plicate leaves and large panicles. In Southeast Asia the grains are eaten as a substitute for rice and the tender, thickened shoots as a vegetable.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Setaria verticilliformis is a European adventive that has been found at scattered, mostly urban, locations in the United States.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Paniceae > Setaria > subg. Ptychophyllum Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Paniceae > Setaria > subg. Setaria
Sibling taxa
S. adhaerans, S. arizonica, S. barbata, S. chapmanii, S. corrugata, S. faberi, S. grisebachii, S. italica, S. leucopila, S. liebmannii, S. macrosperma, S. macrostachya, S. magna, S. megaphylla, S. parviflora, S. pumila, S. rariflora, S. reverchonii, S. scheelei, S. setosa, S. sphacelata, S. texana, S. verticillata, S. verticilliformis, S. villosissima, S. viridis
S. adhaerans, S. arizonica, S. barbata, S. chapmanii, S. corrugata, S. faberi, S. grisebachii, S. italica, S. leucopila, S. liebmannii, S. macrosperma, S. macrostachya, S. magna, S. megaphylla, S. palmifolia, S. parviflora, S. pumila, S. rariflora, S. reverchonii, S. scheelei, S. setosa, S. sphacelata, S. texana, S. verticillata, S. villosissima, S. viridis
Synonyms S. verticillata var. ambigua
Name authority (J. Konig) Stapf Dumort.
Source FNA vol. 25, p. 543. Treatment author: James M. Rominger. FNA vol. 25, p. 554. Treatment author: James M. Rominger.
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