What plant is foxtail grass? Let us get to know this common wild grass
Foxtail grass is also known as Arhat grass, barnyard grass, green foxtail and so on. It is an annual herbaceous plant of the genus Setaria in the grass family, distributed throughout China, native to the temperate and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, and now widespread in the temperate and subtropical regions of the world. Its flower language means floral endurance, being misunderstood, difficult love, secret love and so on. Braid three stalks of foxtail grass into a plaited shape, bend it into a loop according to the size of the finger and tie a knot, then wear it on the finger to represent a private pledge of lifelong commitment.
The roots of foxtail grass are fibrous, and tall plants have prop roots. The culms are erect or bent at the base, 10-100 cm tall, with a basal diameter of 3-7 mm. The leaf sheaths are loose, hairless or sparsely covered with soft hairs or wart-like hairs, with longer dense cotton-like cilia along the edges. The leaf blades are flat, narrowly triangular-lanceolate or linear-lanceolate. The panicle is dense and cylindrical, or slightly separated at the base, erect or slightly drooping, with the main axis covered in longer soft hairs. The fruit is grayish-white, and the flowering and fruiting period is from May to October.
Foxtail grass grows in wilderness and along roadsides below 4,000 m above sea level, and is a common weed of dryland crops. The suitable temperature for seed germination is 15-30 degrees C. It spreads by wind, irrigation water and harvested crops, and sprouts after overwintering dormancy. It has strong adaptability, is drought-tolerant and barren-tolerant, and can grow in both acidic and alkaline soils.
Foxtail grass is a common harmful weed, damaging dryland crops such as wheat, millet, corn, cotton, beans, peanuts, tuber crops, vegetables, sugar beets, potatoes, nurseries and fruit trees. When it occurs severely, it can form a dominant population that densely covers the field, competing for fertilizer and water and causing crop yield reduction. It is also a host for many pests such as leafhoppers, thrips, aphids and cutworms.
The culms and leaves of foxtail grass are plants that cattle, donkeys, horses and sheep love to eat. The dried grass in autumn can also be used as fuel for making fires to boil water and cook meals, and for heating and bedding. The spikelets can be used to extract furfural. The whole plant contains 2.6% crude fat, 10.27% crude protein, 34.55% nitrogen-free extract, 34.40% crude fiber and 10.60% crude ash. After adding water and boiling for 20 minutes, the filtrate can be sprayed to kill vegetable pests.