Yellow Foxtail

 

Scientific name: Setaria glauca (L.) Beauv.
Family: Poaceae

 

MORPHOLOGY

 

Habit and Size: Annual, herbaceous plant, 20 to 60 cm tall.

 

Stem: Erect or ascending, glabrous and somewhat rough, generally long and bare below the inflorescence.

 

Leaves: Glaucous leaves with blades 5-9 mm wide, finely pubescent beneath the central vein, otherwise glabrous; ligule consists of long, spreading hairs.

 

Flowers: Dense, cylindrical, spiciform panicle (0.5-1 x 4-7 cm), uninterrupted at the base. Blooms from June to October.

 

Fruits and Seeds: The fruits are caryopses.

 

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT

 

An alien species of unknown origin, widespread throughout Italy, commonly found in ruderal environments and cultivated fields, at altitudes from sea level up to over 800 m, occasionally reaching up to 2,000 m.

 

Photo: licensed free of charge from Saxifraga and Rutger Barendse, Jan van der Straaten, Ed Stikvoort, Peter Meininger