Setaria verticillata
Setaria verticillata | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Monocots |
(unranked): | Commelinids |
Order: | Poales |
Family: | Poaceae |
Genus: | Setaria |
Species: | S. verticillata |
Binomial name | |
Setaria verticillata (L.) P.Beauv. | |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Setaria verticillata is a species of grass known by the common names hooked bristlegrass,[2] rough bristle-grass[3] and bristly foxtail. It is native to Europe, but it is known on most continents as an introduced species and often a noxious weed. It is a hardy bunchgrass which grows in many types of urban, cultivated, and disturbed habitat. It is a weed of many types of agricultural crops, growing in vineyards and fields. Herbicide-resistant strains have been noted.[4]
This is an annual grass with decumbent or erect stems growing up to a meter long. The leaf blades are up to 25 centimeters long and have a long sheath around the stem. The inflorescence is a dense panicle up to 15 centimeters long which tapers at both ends. It contains many small spikelets and bristles. The bristles have tiny backwards-pointing barbs that help them hook onto clothing or animal fur, facilitating their dispersal.[4]
Seeds of the grass are used to make beer in South Africa and porridge in Namibia.[4] They have been used as a famine food in India.[5]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Setaria verticillata. |
References
- ↑ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- ↑ "Setaria verticillata". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ↑ "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
- 1 2 3 ISSG Database
- ↑ Purdue: Famine Foods