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]

References

  1. ^ "Setaria verticillata (L.) P.Beauv. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  2. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Setaria verticillata". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  3. ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  4. ^ a b c ISSG Database
  5. ^ Purdue: Famine Foods

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