Setaria glauca

• Botanical Name : Setaria glauca (L.) Beauv.
• Synonyms : Panicum glaucum L.
• Common Name : Kolat, Kunchi, Kutra Ghans, Zipati Ghas
• Plant Family : Poaceae (Gramineae)

• According to the Rules of ICBN the names of the families should end in -aceae. Thus the new name for the family Gramineae became Poaceae. However, the name Gramineae is also exempted and conserved under 'Nomina Conservanda' because of their constant use for a long time.

• Plant Form : Grasses
• Occurrence (Sectors) : 1, 4, 22, 26-30
• Occurrence (Special Areas) : Indroda Park, Sarita Udyan

About Setaria glauca Plant :

• Habit : An annual grass with stem 30-60 cm, erect or ascending, simple or branched.
• Leaves : Broad or narrow, flat, glabrous or sparsely hairy, margins scabrid.
• Inflorescence and Flowers :
  • Spiciform panicles cylindric, dense-fid, usually yellow, rarely purplish or green, rarely interrupted, sometimes reduced to an ovoid head with very few spikelets, bristles of involucel 6-12, very variable in length, from a little longer to four times as long as the ovoid spikelet.
  • Glumes 4, first glume minute, second glume rather shorter than third glume, subacute, third glume usually empty, sometimes paleate and male, fourth glume broadly ovoid, very convex.
• Flowering and Fruiting Time : October
• Significance :
  • It is regarded as a fairly good green fodder for cattle.
  • The grains of the wild as well as cultivated types are used as food.
  • They are either boiled and eaten whole or more rarely ground to flour.
  • A bread is made out of these grains.