Names
Scientific Name: Setaria macrostachya
Synonym: Setaria leucopila
Common Names: Largespike bristlegrass
Characteristics
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Grass
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Dry, rocky soil, 2,000 to 7,000 feet
Flower Color: Pale green
Flowering Season: May to October
Height: 1.5 to 3 feet
Description: This clumping grass has linear to elliptic leaves and bushy, foxtail-like flower heads that give it a very ornamental look.
Special Characteristics
This grass is abundant in desert grasslands of the southwest and valuable as a forage grass for wildlife. It grows best in light, well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. It can be propagated by seed sown in mid-spring.
Classification
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
SOURCES:
Utah State University, Intermountain Herbarium: http://herbarium.usu.edu/treatments/setaria.htm
Royal Horticultural Society: http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=4135
