Putnam Park Wildflowers


Flower ID: IMG_8359.JPG-08-02-2021
Flower name (scientific): Setaria pumila (Poiret) Roemer & Schultes PY: 1817. Pronunciation guide: (phonetic spelling) set-TARE-ee-uh POO-mil-uh
Flower name (common): Yellow Foxtail
Family name (common): Grass
Family name (scientific): Poaceae
Scientific name origin:
     Genus: From the Latin seta for bristle, referring to the bristly spikelets.
    Specific epithet: From the Latin pumilus meaning dwarf or small.
Common name origin: From the color of the spike and the supposed resemblance to the tail of a fox. Foxtail is a commonly applied name to various grasses with bristly spikelets.
Flower description:
     Size: spikelets 0.12 to 0.13 inches (3 to 3.4 mm)
     Petal count: 0
     Color: yellow
     Other: flower arrangement, Spike
Plant description:
     Size: 12 to 36 inches (30 to 91 cm)
     Stem hairy:
     Other:
Leaf description: attachment is alternate, type is simple
     Size: Leaves are up to 20 to 30 cm long and up to 10 to 12 mm wide.
     Color:
     Hairy:
     Other: Shape: leaf,
Origin (native, introduced, invasive): Introduced
Status (common, uncommon, threatened, rare): Common
Bloom time (typical): June to October
Cycle (annual, biennial, perennial): Annual
Habitat: Disturbed areas, waste areas, fields, pastures, roadsides, sun or semi-shade, dry soil.
Fruit:
Seed:
Importance to wildlife:
Similar species (if any): No close lookalikes. The yellow to tawny bristles of the spikelets help to distinguish this species from other foxtails. Setaria pumila typically has 4 to 12 bristles from the base of each spikelet, which is more than for the following: S. faberi (Giant Foxtail, Chinese Foxtail) has 3, S. italica (Foxtail Millet) has 1 to 3, S. verticillata (Bristly Foxtail, Hooked Bristlegrass) has 1, S. verticilliformis (Barbed Bristlegrass) has 1, and S. viridis (Green Foxtail, Green Bristlegrass) has 1 to 3.
Ethnobotany:
Latitude: 44.795027
Longitude: -91.495925
Altitude: 244.60
Distribution: In Wisconsin: (Adams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Brown, Buffalo, Burnett, Calumet, Chippewa, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Door, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Florence, Fond du Lac, Forest, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, Kewaunee, La Crosse, Lafayette, Langlade, Lincoln, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marinette, Marquette, Menominee, Milwaukee, Monroe, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Portage, Price, Racine, Richland, Rock, Rusk, Sauk, Sawyer, Shawano, Sheboygan, St. Croix, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vernon, Vilas, Walworth, Washburn, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, Wood) Click here for distribution map
In US: (AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY)
In Canada: (AB, BC, MB, NB, NF, NS, ON, PE, QC, SK)
References:
Synonym(s):
Basionym: Panicum pumilum Poiret in J.B.A.M.de Lamarck, Encycl., Supp l. 4: 273 (1816).
Homotypic Synonym(s):
Heterotypic Synonym(s):
Autonym: na