Setaria Explained

Setaria is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family.^{[1] [2]} The name is derived from the Latin word seta, meaning "bristle" or "hair", which refers to the bristly spikelets.^[3]

The genus includes over 100 species distributed in many tropical and temperate regions around the world,^[4] and members are commonly known as foxtail or bristle grasses.^{[5] [6] [7] [8] [9]}

Description

The grass is topped by a cylindrical long-haired head, which tend to droop when ripe. The seeds are less than 6mm in length.^[10]

Species

, Plants of the World Online accepted the following species:^[11]

Formerly includedNumerous species were once considered members of Setaria but have since been reassigned to the following genera: Brachiaria, Dissochondrus, Echinochloa, Holcolemma, Ixophorus, Oplismenus, Panicum, Pennisetum, Pseudoraphis, Setariopsis, and Urochloa

Uses

The grains can be eaten raw, though are hard and can be bitter; boiling can reduce both of these properties.

Several species have been domesticated and used as staple crops throughout history: foxtail millet (S. italica), korali (S. pumila) in India, and, before the full domestication of maize, Setaria macrostachya in Mexico.^[12] Several species are still cultivated today as food or as animal fodder, such as foxtail millet and korali (S. pumila), while others are considered invasive weeds.^[13] S. italica and S. viridis are being developed as genetic model systems for the study of monocots and bioenergy grasses.^[14]

Other species that have been cultivated as crops include S. palmifolia (highland pitpit) of Papua New Guinea, where it is cultivated as a green vegetable; S. parviflora (knot-root foxtail), historically cultivated in Mesoamerica; and S. sphacelata (African bristle grass) of Sudan, a "lost millet" of Nubia.^[15]

See also

• Hendrik de Wit, a botanist who studied Setaria

External links

• Setaria. California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Notes and References

1. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/394130#page/135/mode/1up Palisot de Beauvois, Ambroise Marie François Joseph. 1812. Essai d'une Nouvelle Agrostographie page 51
2. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/394130#page/298/mode/1up Palisot de Beauvois, Ambroise Marie François Joseph. 1812. Essai d'une Nouvelle Agrostographie plate XIII (13), figure III (3)
3. Book: Quattrocchi, Umberto . CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology . 4: R-Q . 2000 . CRC Press . 0-8493-2673-7 . 2470.
4. Aliscioni, S., et al. An overview of the genus Setaria (Poaceae: Panicoideae: Paniceae) in the Old World: Systematic revision and phylogenetic approach. Abstract. Botany 2004. Salt Lake City. August 3, 2004.
5. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=130214 Flora of China Vol. 22 Page 1, 499, 531 狗尾草属 gou wei cao shu Setaria P. Beauvois, Ess. Agrostogr. 51. 1812
6. http://bonap.net/NAPA/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Setaria Biota of North America Program 2013 county distribution maps
7. http://luirig.altervista.org/flora/taxa/floraspecie.php?genere=setaria Altervista Flora Italiana
8. http://bie.ala.org.au/species/SETARIA Atlas of Living Australia
9. http://redlist.sanbi.org/genus.php?genus=1167 Sanbi Red List of South African Plants
10. Book: The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants . . . 2009 . 978-1-60239-692-0 . New York . 56 . en-US . 277203364.
11. Setaria P.Beauv... 331287-2. 2024-06-07. cs1.
12. Book: Diao . Xianmin . Genetics and Genomics of Setaria . Jia . Guanqing . 2017 . 978-3-319-45103-9 . Plant Genetics and Genomics: Crops and Models . 19 . 61–72 . Origin and Domestication of Foxtail Millet . 10.1007/978-3-319-45105-3_4 . 2363-9601.
13. Book: Dekker, Jack . Weed Biology and Management . 29 February 2004 . Kluwer Academic Publishers . 9781402017612 . Inderjit . 65–67 . 4.
14. Li . P. . Brutnell . T. P. . 2011-03-31 . Setaria viridis and Setaria italica, model genetic systems for the Panicoid grasses . Journal of Experimental Botany . 62 . 9 . 3031–3037 . 10.1093/jxb/err096 . 21459768 . 0022-0957.
15. Book: Fuller, Dorian Q. . Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology . Springer New York . 2014 . New York, NY . 4945–4948 . Millets: Origins and Development . 10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_2181. 978-1-4419-0426-3 . 129203615 .