Pigeon grass

Setaria pumila

Family: Poaceae Genus: Setaria Species: pumila

Synonyms: Panicum pumilum, Setaria glauca var. breviseta, Setaria aurea var. penicillata, Setaria glauca subsp. humifusa, Panicum imberbe var. pumilum, Setaria pennicillata, Setaria breviglumis, Setaria glauca var. compressa, Panicum glaucum var. flavescens, Setaria glauca var. longispica, Setaria glauca var. bracteata, Setaria pumila subsp. pallide-fusca, Setaria erythraeae, Setaria rubiginosa, Setaria glauca var. humifusa, Setaria sciuroidea, Setaria glauca var. dura, Setaria glauca var. macrocarpa, Chaetochloa lutescens var. longispica, Setaria glauca var. minutissima, Setaria glauca var. elongata, Setaria ustilata, Setaria humifusa, Panicum glaucum var. elongatum, Panicum rubiginosum, Setaria glauca f. abyssinica, Panicum glaucum var. pumilum, Setaria pallide-fusca var. breviseta, Setaria lutescens var. longispica, Setaria rubiginosa f. penicillata, Setaria pumila subsp. subtesselata, Chaetochloa glauca var. purpurea, Panicum luteum, Setaria glauca var. ictura, Setaria glauca var. longiseta, Setaria glauca var. prostrata, Panicum glaucum var. humifusum, Setaria laeta, Setaria aurea var. rubiginosa, Panicum glaucum var. laevigatum, Setaria glauca var. nodiflora, Setaria dasyura, Setaria lutescens var. dura, Setaria glauca var. pumila, Setaria boninensis, Setaria glauca var. pallide-fusca, Setaria lutescens f. pumila, Setaria auricoma, Setaria pallide-fusca var. sericea, Setaria pallide-fusca, Setaria pallide-fusca var. ictura, Setaria pallide-fusca f. penicillata, Panicum glaucum var. prostrata, Panicum pallide-fuscum, Setaria glauca subsp. subtesselata

Pigeon grass (en)

Gallery

Botanical Description

Setaria pumila, yellow foxtail, yellow bristle-grass or pigeon grass, is a slender annual grass in the family Poaceae. The mostly hairless stems, sometimes purple-tinged towards the base, can reach from 20 cm to well over 1 m in height. The narrow leaf blades, smooth on the upper surface and often slightly twisted, are up to 30 cm long. The inflorescence is a dense, stiffly cylindrical spike-like panicle 2–15 cm long bearing numerous small spikelets each subtended by short, blunt yellow or yellow-tinged bristles, giving the plant its common name. Native to temperate Europe and western Asia, it is now widespread across most of the world as an introduced weed of lawns, sidewalks, roadsides, cultivated fields and pastures, and is regarded as a serious problem in New Zealand dairy pastures. Although closely related to cultivated foxtail millet (S. italica), S. pumila itself has no significant human food or medicinal tradition.

Native Region: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Altay, Andaman Is., Angola, Assam, Austria, Azores, Baleares, Bangladesh, Benin, Bismarck Archipelago, Botswana, Bulgaria, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Cape Verde, Central African Repu, Central European Rus, Chad, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Chita, Corse, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Djibouti, East European Russia, East Himalaya, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Free State, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hainan, Hungary, India, Inner Mongolia, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jawa, Kenya, Korea, Krasnoyarsk, Kriti, Krym, Kuwait, KwaZulu-Natal, Laos, Lebanon-Syria, Lesotho, Lesser Sunda Is., Libya, Madagascar, Madeira, Malawi, Malaya, Mali, Maluku, Manchuria, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nansei-shoto, Nepal, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Niger, Nigeria, North Caucasus, Northern Provinces, Northwest European R, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Portugal, Primorye, Romania, Rwanda, Réunion, Sardegna, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sicilia, Sierra Leone, Sinai, Socotra, Solomon Is., Somalia, South European Russi, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Swaziland, Tadzhikistan, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tibet, Togo, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkey-in-Europe, Uganda, Ukraine, Vietnam, West Himalaya, Xinjiang, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Cultural & Historical Context

Traditional American Uses

None Documented

Chemistry & External Identifiers

Trefle ID

235201

Important Disclaimer

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.

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