Setaria italica

HABIT Annual. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; robust; 50–100 cm long; 5–7 -noded. Leaf-sheaths outer margin hairy. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 15–45 cm long; 6–20 mm wide; flaccid. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle antrorsely scabrous above.

Panicle spiciform; linear, or oblong; continuous, or interrupted; equilateral, or nodding; 5–30 cm long; 0.8–2.4 cm wide. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with evident branchlets on axis. Panicle axis villous.

Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2–4 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; 4–16 mm long. Involucral bristles persistent; 2–5 in principal whorl; flexible; antrorsely scaberulous; glabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; 2–3 mm long; persistent on plant.

GLUMES Glumes shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.33 length of spikelet; hyaline, or membranous; without keels; 1–3 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 0.66–0.75 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5 -veined; obtuse, or acute. Fertile lemma elliptic, or oblong; dorsally compressed; gibbous; 2–3 mm long; indurate; without keel. Lemma surface unwrinkled, or rugulose. Lemma margins involute. Palea involute; indurate.

FLOWER Anthers 3; 1 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid, or orbicular; dorsally compressed; 1.5–2 mm long. Hilum punctiform.

DISTRIBUTION Europe: central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern. Africa: north, southern tropical, south, and western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet far east, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, Arabia, China, Mongolia, and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia. Australasia: Australia and New Zealand. Pacific: north-central. North America: western Canada, eastern Canada, northwest USA, north-central USA, northeast USA, southwest USA, south-central USA, and southeast USA. South America: northern South America, Brazil, and southern South America.

NOTES Paniceae. FTA.

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