Setaria viridis seed
LATIN NAME: Setaria viridis
COMMON NAME: Green Foxtail
The green foxtail waves the dense, cylindrical, bristly spikes above the narrow leaves, the whole clump standing in the light, airy look of the roadside verge. The hardy, annual grass carries the narrow, flat, rough-edged leaves, and the dense, cylindrical, bristly, fox-tail-like panicles through the summer, one of the light, quiet sights of the roadside verge, drawing the bees, to be followed by the many small, hard, brownish grains. The bristly spikes have a very long record as the fine, wild grains of the old fields, and the plant is a historic presence of the roadside verge. It is a plant of the open, sunny, light, well-drained ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The green foxtail is a historic subject of the plant science, and the bristly spikes keep showing up in the work on the wild relatives of the millets. The way the dense, cylindrical, bristly panicles form at the tips of the narrow leaves has been studied at length, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the millet relatives, the narrow leaves and the members of the grass family. The quick habit and the many grains have also made it a fine study grass, and the green foxtail is a regular subject of the work on the bristly spikes of the warm world.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
The green foxtail is a light, useful plant of the roadside verge and the study collection. The narrow, flat, rough-edged leaves carry the light look of the roadside verge, one of the light, quiet sights of the roadside verge, drawing the bees, and the bristly spikes have a very long record as the fine, wild grains of the old fields, the small grains coming to the old grain stores and the steady fodder of the old farms, while the dense, cylindrical, bristly, fox-tail-like panicles open through the summer, to be followed by the many small, hard, brownish grains. It is one of the fine choices for the roadside verge, the wild meadow and the study collection, and it has been written up in the botanical and the agricultural papers for the bristly spikes and the very long history. It is a light, useful plant of the open, sunny, light, well-drained garden.
The foxtail seeds grow readily in a fine, gritty mix on a bright sill. The young clumps are quick and tough, and they are happy in any light, well-drained ground of the open garden.
To grow the green foxtail from seed, sow the tiny seeds thinly over the surface of the pot of fine, gritty soil, water gently, then keep the pot in a bright, open spot. The seedlings push through within a couple of weeks, and they grow on steadily. With the sun and the light, well-drained ground, the bristly spikes will wave over the warm months.