Setaria setosa
Setaria sphacelata
West Indian bristlegrass, West Indies bristlegrass
African bristle grass
50-100 cm;
nodes usually glabrous.
50-150 cm, flattened;
nodes glabrous.
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.
glabrous;
blades 15-50 cm long, 4-10 mm wide, flat, rather lax.
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.
5-25 cm long, 4-8 mm thick (excluding the bristles), densely spicate;
bristles 5 or more, 3-6 mm, usually orange to purple.
2-2.5 mm, ovate-lanceolate.
2.5-3 mm, elliptic-oblong.
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.
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.
= unknown.
= 36, 54.
Setaria setosa
Setaria sphacelata
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 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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