Setaria is a widespread genus of plants in the
grass family.[5][6] The name is derived from the
Latin word seta, meaning "bristle" or "hair", which refers to the bristly spikelets.[7]
The genus includes over 100 species distributed in many tropical and temperate regions around the world,[8] and members are commonly known as foxtail or bristle grasses.[2][9][10][11][12][13]
Description
The grass is topped by a cylindrical long-haired head, which tend to droop when ripe. The seeds are less than 6 millimetres (1⁄4 inch) in length.[14]
The grains can be eaten raw, though are hard and can be bitter; boiling can reduce both of these properties.[14]
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.[16] 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.[17]S. italica and S. viridis are being developed as genetic model systems for the study of
monocots and
bioenergy grasses.[18]
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.[19]
^Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology. Vol. 4: R-Q. CRC Press. p. 2470.
ISBN0-8493-2673-7.
Setaria is a widespread genus of plants in the
grass family.[5][6] The name is derived from the
Latin word seta, meaning "bristle" or "hair", which refers to the bristly spikelets.[7]
The genus includes over 100 species distributed in many tropical and temperate regions around the world,[8] and members are commonly known as foxtail or bristle grasses.[2][9][10][11][12][13]
Description
The grass is topped by a cylindrical long-haired head, which tend to droop when ripe. The seeds are less than 6 millimetres (1⁄4 inch) in length.[14]
The grains can be eaten raw, though are hard and can be bitter; boiling can reduce both of these properties.[14]
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.[16] 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.[17]S. italica and S. viridis are being developed as genetic model systems for the study of
monocots and
bioenergy grasses.[18]
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.[19]
^Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology. Vol. 4: R-Q. CRC Press. p. 2470.
ISBN0-8493-2673-7.