Setaria faberi
Chinese foxtail, Chinese Foxtail
(c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · licence
Family: Poaceae · Type: Grass · Not Native
Setaria faberi (Chinese foxtail) is a non-native California grass in the Poaceae family, recognized by exceptional size and leaf width.
Chinese foxtail is a naturalized annual grass found in northern Sierra Nevada foothills, deltaic Great Valley, Central Coast, and Southern Coast regions in disturbed areas at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering from June to November, this plant produces pale green to greenish-yellow inflorescences in dense, bristly clusters 7 to 18 centimeters long. Growing with upright stems 10 to 200 centimeters tall that are soft and hairy, it spreads quickly in agricultural and waste areas. Its leaves are long and narrow, 15 to 30 centimeters in length, with soft hairs on the upper surface and prominent leaf sheaths 6 to 11 centimeters long. The plant produces small spikelets 2.5 to 3 millimeters long with distinctive bristles that aid in seed dispersal.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 4 sympatric species; exceptional size and leaf width are diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed areas
Elevation: < 100 m
California counties: Placer, Los Angeles, Solano, Sonoma, Santa Cruz
Outside California: to eastern United States, native to Asia
Bloom period
Setaria faberi blooms Jun-Nov.
How to tell it apart
vs Cenchrus: Setaria bristles stay attached to the axis after the spikelet falls; Cenchrus bristles fuse into a spiny bur that drops with the seed.; vs Pennisetum: Setaria bristles are free and persistent below each spikelet; Pennisetum bristles form a deciduous involucre that falls as a unit with the spikelet.; vs Alopecurus: Setaria has stiff bare bristles subtending naked spikelets; Alopecurus has no bristles and its soft spikelets bear a bent awn from the lemma back.; vs Polypogon: Setaria's bristles are separate sterile branchlets left behind on the axis; in Polypogon the bristly look comes from awns on the glumes and the whole spikelet sheds.; vs Phleum: Setaria's cylindric head has projecting bristles between the spikelets; Phleum's dense spike is bristle-free with stiff, short-awned, keeled glumes.
Frequently asked questions
Is Setaria faberi native to California?
No. Setaria faberi is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Setaria faberi bloom?
Setaria faberi blooms Jun-Nov.
Where in California does Setaria faberi grow?
Setaria faberi occurs in Placer, Los Angeles, Solano, Sonoma, Santa Cruz, at elevations of < 100 m.
What plant family does Setaria faberi belong to?
Setaria faberi is in the Poaceae family, genus Setaria.
What habitat does Setaria faberi grow in?
Setaria faberi grows in Disturbed areas.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.