Species Browse

Setaria viridis

The green foxtail, Setaria viridis (2n=2x=18, AA), is a wild ancestor of cultivated foxtail millet. It is a model system for warm-season (C4) grasses within the Panicoideae, a group of ca. 3300 species that includes not only essential grain, forage and biofuel crops, but also ecological dominants of tropical and warm temperate environments. Green foxtail plants are generally small, with a short life cycle (seed to seed in 8-10 weeks) and self-compatible, with a single inflorescence that often produces hundreds of seeds. Green foxtail is an invasive grass found throughout North America, and in all New England states. Native to Europe, North Africa and Asia, it was first introduced to North America via Canada in 1821 in ships ballast dumps, and multiple introductions have occurred since. It is a significant weed of grain crops.