Setaria

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Setaria is a large group of grasses known as foxtail or bristle grasses. The name comes from the Latin seta, meaning “bristle,” referring to the bristly seed heads. The flowers form a cylindrical, long-haired spike that droops when ripe, and the seeds are small—less than 6 mm long.

There are about 100 Setaria species found in tropical and temperate regions around the world. Over time, many species once placed in Setaria have been moved to other grass genera such as Brachiaria, Echinochloa, Holcolemma, Panicum, Pennisetum, and others.

Some Setaria species have been domesticated for food or fodder. Notable crops include foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and korali (Setaria pumila) in India. Setaria macrostachya was used in Mexico before maize was fully domesticated. Today, foxtail millet and Setaria viridis are studied as genetic model systems for monocots and bioenergy grasses.

Other cultivated or noteworthy species include Setaria palmifolia (green vegetable in Papua New Guinea), Setaria parviflora (knot-root foxtail) in Mesoamerica, and Setaria sphacelata (African bristle grass) in Sudan, historically called a “lost millet.” Some Setaria species are still grown for food or animal fodder, while others can be invasive weeds.