Setaria faberi

HABIT Annual; culms solitary. Culms geniculately ascending; 60–130 cm long; 2–4 mm diam.; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes 4–15 cm long. Lateral branches ample. Leaf-sheaths 5–12 cm long; outer margin hairy. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 1–2 mm long. Leaf-blades 10–40 cm long; 7–18 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle spiciform; linear; nodding; 5–17 cm long; 1–2.5 cm wide. Primary panicle branches sterile at the tips. Panicle axis pilose.

Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles. Involucral bristles persistent; 1–3 per spikelet; 12–18 mm long; flexible; glabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; dorsally compressed; 2.7–3 mm long; 1.5–1.7 mm wide; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1–1.3 mm long; 0.33–0.5 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 2–2.5 mm long; 0.66–0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 7 -veined; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; dorsally compressed; gibbous; 2.7–3 mm long; indurate; without keel. Lemma surface rugulose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex acute. Palea involute; indurate. Palea surface rugose.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: Soviet far east, Caucasus, China, and eastern Asia. North America: north-central USA, northeast USA, and southeast USA.

NOTES Paniceae. Koyama 1993.

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.