keys to the vascular plants of east texas - Botanical Research ...

SETARIA/POACEAE 1055
14. Leaf blades broader, (5–)9–20 mm wide; panicles usually strongly tapered
from a wide base to a narrow apex, (7–)11–35 cm long; bristles
(10–)15–35 mm long, spreading __________________________________ S. scheelei
Setaria corrugata (Elliott) Schult., (corrugated, wrinkled), COASTAL BRISTLE GRASS, COASTAL FOX-
TAIL. Coarse annual 30–100 cm tall; panicle 3–15 cm long; bristles highly variable in length and
color, mostly (5–)7–15(–20) mm long, green, tawny, or purple; spikelets 1.6–2.5 mm long; lemma
of fertile floret coarsely transversely ridged and rugose. Sandy disturbed areas, pinelands, waste
places, along streams; Liberty (Brown 28807, SBSC), Jasper, Walker (Gould 1975b), and Harris
(Turner et al. 2003) cos. in se part of East TX; se U.S. from NC s to FL w to TX. Summer.
[Chaetochloa corrugata (Elliott) Scribn., Panicum corrugatum Elliott]
Setaria faberi R.A.W. Herrm., (for Ernst Faber, 1839–1899, who collected the type specimen in
China), JAPANESE BRISTLE GRASS, NODDING FOXTAIL, GIANT FOXTAIL, CHINESE FOXTAIL Large annual
40–200 cm tall; panicle (3–)6–20 cm long; bristles usually 1–3 but sometimes to 6 per
spikelet, 4–12 mm long; spikelets 2.4–3 mm long; lemma of fertile floret finely rugose. Disturbed
areas; this species is not currently known from TX but is likely in the flora area; no
county distribution map is provided; however, it is common in AR, MO, and LA, including immediately
adjacent to the TX border (Rominger 2003); se Canada and widespread in the e U.S.
w to SD and OK, also AZ, CA, CO, and WA. It is included here based on the likelihood of its occurrence
in East TX and to encourage collectors to look for it. Jul–Oct. Native of Asia. Probably
introduced into the U.S. from China in the 1920s (Rominger 1962). It is “a major nuisance in
corn and bean fields of the midwestern United States” (Rominger 2003), is considered a serious
weed (Rominger 1962), and has been designated noxious in CA and OK (Kartesz 1999). This
species can resemble S. viridis var. major (in large size of plant and inflorescence) but can be
distinguished by the pubescence on the upper surface of the leaf blades and by the panicles
which at maturity droop from near the base (Rominger 1962). � I
Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv., (of Italy), FOXTAIL-MILLET, ITALIAN-MILLET, GERMAN-MILLET,
HUNGARIAN-MILLET. Annual similar to but larger and coarser than S. viridis; culms to 120 cm
tall; leaf blades to 16(–30) mm wide; panicles to 30 cm long and to 3 cm thick; bristles to ca. 12
mm long; spikelets ca. (2.5–)2.6–3.4 mm long, disarticulating below the fertile floret (leaving
behind glumes and sterile floret); lemma of fertile floret smooth and shiny or nearly so. Roadsides,
apparently now being used to stabilize soil and prevent erosion following highway construction;
Denton (damp limestone soil), Grayson (planted for erosion control along Hwy 82)
(BRIT), Bexar, Brazos, Collin, Dallas, Harris, Hays, and Travis (Turner et al. 2003) cos.; scattered
in TX; Gould (1975b) noted that S. italica does not persist in the state; se Canada and throughout
most of the U.S. Jul–Aug. This species is related to and interfertile with its wild ancestor, S.
viridis, native of Eurasia. Setaria viridis is sometimes treated as a subspecies of S. italica (e.g., by
Prasada Rao et al. 1987). FOXTAIL-MILLET appears to be an old domesticate first brought into cultivation
in e Asia, possibly 5,000–7,000 years ago. It is used as a cereal grain (particularly in
China), as birdseed, and as animal fodder (Clayton & Renvoize 1986; Mabberley 1987; Prasada
Rao et al. 1987; Zohary & Hopf 1994; Yatskievych 1999). When eaten in large amounts, Setaria
italica inflorescences can cause joint and muscle pain and degenerative arthritis in livestock; a
glycoside is a possible cause (Burrows & Tyrl 2001). � I
Setaria leucopila (Scribn. & Merr.) K. Schum., (white-haired), PLAINS BRISTLE GRASS, STREAMBED
BRISTLE GRASS. Tufted perennial 20–100 cm tall; bristles mostly 4–15 mm long; spikelets usually
2.2–2.8 mm long; lemma of fertile floret finely rugose and with transverse wrinkles. Welldrained
soils, sometimes with abundant moisture; Bell, Travis (BRIT), Burleson, Grimes (TAMU),
Anderson, Bexar, Brazos, Hays, and Nacogdoches (Turner et al. 2003) cos.; mainly w 2/3 of TX;
AZ, CO, NM, OK, and TX. May–Nov. This species is quite variable (Emery 1957a). Rominger
(1962) described it as the “most abundant and most widely dispersed of the perennial bristle