Setaria palmifolia (J.König) Stapf
palm grass
Densely clumped perennials from short stout rhizome to c. 1 cm diam. Leaf-sheath coriaceous, rounded or slightly keeled, with numerous, spreading, stiff-acicular, tubercle-based hairs to 5 mm; margins densely ciliate or glabrous. Ligule ciliate, hairs to 15 mm, extending as a contra-ligule. Leaf-blade 40-75 × 4-8 cm, conspicuously plicate and palm-like, linear-elliptic, tapering to base, almost petiolate in lower leaves, sharply scabrid especially near and at margins, sometimes with soft hairs as well, tapering to long, acuminate tip. Culm 80-200 cm, terete, striate, with long hairs at nodes and often for some distance below nodes, internodes scabridulous below panicle and nodes. Panicle 25-60 × c. 10-20 cm, very loosely branched, the longer branches pendulous; rachis almost smooth below, increasingly scabrid above, occasionally with scattered fine tubercle-based hairs; primary branches (3)-10-16 cm, scabrid, with shorter, scabrid branchlets bearing short-pedicelled, light green to purplish spikelets. Spikelets 3-4 mm, at least some, and usually the terminal one on each branchlet, subtended by a single antrorsely scabrid bristle (5-9 mm). Lower glume 1.5-2.5 mm, 5-nerved, upper 2-3.5 mm, c. ⅔-¾ length of spikelet, 5-7-nerved. Lower floret ♂ or Ø: lemma 5-nerved, acuminate; palea c. ½ length of lemma, hyaline, nerveless. Upper floret ⚥: lemma chartaceous to crustaceous, apiculate, finely rugulose, convex; palea of same texture as lemma but with hyaline margins, keels glabrous, rounded; anthers 1.3-1.6 mm; caryopsis not seen.
N.: Great Barrier Id, Auckland City, South Auckland, Hawkes Bay (Hastings), Wellington (Wanganui). Escape from gardens; waste ground.
Naturalised from India.
Easily distinguishable by the plicate leaves, but the branched panicle, and spikelets subtended by very few bristles give an appearance similar to Panicum.
