Setaria viridis (L.) P.Beauv., Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Chaetochloa viridis (L.) Scribn.; Panicum viride L.; Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv. subsp. viridis (L.) Thell.; Setaria pachystachys (Franch. & Sav.) Matsum.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: gou wei cao

English: bottle grass, green bristle grass, green foxtail, green foxtail millet, green pigeon grass, pigeongrass, wild foxtail millet, wild millet

French: sétaire verte

Spanish: almorejo

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Annual; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 10-60 cm long; 3-5 -noded. Culm-nodes glabrous. Leaf-sheaths outer margin hairy. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 3-30 cm long; 4-10 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; glabrous. Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle scaberulous above. Panicle spiciform; linear; 1-10 cm long; 0.4-1 cm wide. Primary panicle branches accrescent to a central axis; with evident branchlets on axis. Panicle axis hispid, or pilose. Spikelets subtended by an involucre. Fertile spikelets pedicelled; 2-6 in the cluster. Involucre composed of bristles; free throughout; 5-10 mm long. Involucral bristles persistent; few; in one whorl; 4-14 in principal whorl; 1-3 per spikelet; flexible; antrorsely scaberulous; glabrous. Pedicels oblong. Fertile spikelets: Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; dorsally compressed; obtuse; 2-3 mm long; falling entire. Glumes dissimilar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblate; 0.25-0.33 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1-3 -veined. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume elliptic; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse. Florets: Basal sterile florets barren; with palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; oblong; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; 5-7 -veined; obtuse. Palea of lower sterile floret membranous (0.33-0.5 length of lemma). Fertile lemma elliptic; dorsally compressed; 2-3 mm long; indurate; without keel. Lemma surface rugulose. Lemma margins involute. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea involute; indurate. Flower: Anthers 3; 0.8 mm long"  (GrassBase).

Habitat/ecology:  In China (native), "hill slopes, roadsides, grassy waste places"  (Flora of China online).  On Taiwan, "in sandy seashores"  (Flora of Taiwan).  In New Zealand, "crops (potatoes, carrots), waste ground, gardens"  (Edgar & Connor, 2000; p. 588).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Canary and Madeira Islands, northern Africa, Europe, Asia (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 557)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Morro Juanango	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 557)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Adventice
Japan (offshore islands) Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands		Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2011) "A weed of cultivation in temperate areas".
Australia Australia (continental)	Northern Territory	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2011) "A weed of cultivation in temperate areas".
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2011) "A weed of cultivation in temperate areas".
Canada Province of British Columbia	Canada (British Columbia)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)
Canada Canada	Canada (country)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Edgar, E./Connor, H. (2000) (p. 588)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	native	Ching-I Peng, ed. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Fact sheet and photos from Missouri Plants.
Weed identification guide from Virginia Tech.

Additional online information about Setaria viridis is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Setaria viridis as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Setaria viridis may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John. 2011. Naturalized species in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile. Unpublished spreadsheet.

Ching-I Peng, ed. 2011. Digital flora of Taiwan (online resource).

Clayton, W.D./Harman, K.T./Williamson, H. 2011. World Grass Species: Descriptions, Identification, and Information Retrieval [GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora]. The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido. 2006. Nouveau catalogue de la flore vaculaire de l'archipel Juan Fernández (Chile) [Nuevo catálogo de la flora vacular del Archipélago Juan Fernández (Chile)]. Acta Bot. Gallica 153(4):399-587.

Edgar, E./Connor, H. 2000. Flora of New Zealand, vol. V: Gramineae. Manaaki Whenua Press. .

Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. 2011. Base de données botaniques Nadeaud de l'Herbier de la Polynésie Française (PAP). (online resource).

Kato, Hidetoshi. 2007. Herbarium records of Makino Herbarium, Tokyo Metropolitan University. Personal communication.

National Herbarium of New South Wales. 2011. PlantNet: New South Wales Flora online. The Plant Information Network System of the Botanic Gardens Trust Version 2.0. Online resource.

U. S. Government. 2011. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).