Setaria setosa
Setaria macrostachya
West Indian bristlegrass, West Indies bristlegrass
large-spike bristlegrass, plains bristlegrass
50-100 cm;
nodes usually glabrous.
60-120 cm, rarely branched distally, scabrous below the nodes and panicles.
glabrous or finely pubescent, margins ciliate distally;
ligules of 1 mm hairs;
blades 15-20 cm long, 6-12 mm wide, flat or folded, often finely pubescent on both surfaces.
keeled, glabrous, usually with a few white hairs at the throat;
ligules 2-4 mm, densely ciliate;
blades 15-20 cm long, 7-15 mm wide, flat, adaxial surface scabrous.
15-20 cm, loosely spikelike, interrupted, attenuate;
rachises often villous;
branches ascending, lower branches about 2.5 cm;
bristles usually solitary, less than 10 mm, antrorsely scabrous.
10-30 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, uniformly thick from the base to the apex, dense, rarely lobed basally;
rachises scabrous and loosely pilose;
bristles usually solitary, 10-20 mm, soft, antrorsely scabrous.
2-2.5 mm, ovate-lanceolate.
2-2.3 mm, subspherical.
about 1/2 as long as the spikelets, 3-veined;
upper glumes about 2/3 as long as the spikelets, 5-7-veined;
lower lemmas equaling the upper lemmas;
lower paleas as long as the upper paleas, broad;
upper lemmas finely and distinctly transversely rugose.
1/3 – 1/2 as long as the spikelets, 3-5-veined;
upper glumes about 3/4 as long as the spikelets, 5-7-veined;
lower lemmas equaling the upper lemmas, 5-veined;
lower paleas nearly equaling the upper paleas in length and width;
upper lemmas transversely rugose;
upper paleas convex, ovate.
= unknown.
= 54.
Setaria setosa
Setaria macrostachya
Setaria setosa is native to the West Indies and Mexico. It is probably a recent introduction to Florida, but appears to be established there. The specimen from New Jersey was from a ballast dump; the species is not established in that state.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Setaria macrostachya is abundant in the desert grass-lands of the southwestern United States, particularly in southern Arizon and Texas. It extends south through the highlands of central Mexico. It also grows in the West Indies, but is not common there. It is a valuable forage grass in the Flora region.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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