Bristle

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Bristle-grass (Latin Setaria) - light-loving drought-resistant plant from the Cereals family. Other names are setaria or fox tail.

Description

Bristle grass is a herbaceous annual or biennial of medium height, equipped with plump decorative panicles. As a rule, its height does not exceed one meter, but on average it ranges from ten to fifty centimeters.

Dense spike-shaped inflorescences of the bristle are usually characterized by a cylindrical shape, however, sometimes they can be lobed. One or two-flowered spikelets of this plant, somewhat similar to the tail of a fox, always sit on short legs. They are ovoid, slightly compressed from the dorsum, and near the bases are surrounded by small serrated bristles. There are usually three spikelet scales in the bristle, and all of them are membranous. Their lower parts are always very small, the second ones are already slightly longer, and the third ones are equal to the length of the flower scales. And the naked leathery flower scales can be either wrinkled or smooth. Blossoming of bristles usually occurs in the second half of summer.

The fruits of the bristle are in the form of caryopses compressed from the back and enclosed in small scales, and their ripening occurs approximately in August or September.

In total, the genus of bristle has about one and a half hundred species.

Where grows

Almost all varieties of bristles are quite widespread throughout the entire territory of the globe. Moreover, it most often grows in fields, pebbles and riverine sands.

Usage

In culture, only one type of bristle is currently grown - this is Italian bristle. This is an incredibly trendy element in modern landscaping! Bristle thickets look great both in combination with many other plants and next to tapeworm - they give texture, volume and focus to any space. The bristle is perfect for rockeries or mixborders, as well as for growing in gardens - both natural and gravel or wild. And cut ears look great in dried flowers compositions!

Also, two subspecies of bristles are grown as ornamental plants: mogar and chumiza. By the way, both of these subspecies are the most ancient forage and food plants. Young plants are considered an excellent pasture food for a huge number of domestic animals, and poultry eats bristle grains with great pleasure.

But the bristle growing in millet crops, unfortunately, is considered a weed. However, this does not interfere with the success of its use in traditional medicine. In addition, this plant boasts a very impressive content of fatty acids and vitamins.

Growing and caring

It is necessary to plant bristles in sunny areas with garden soils. In general, it is very undemanding to soils. And since this plant boasts a very impressive drought resistance, it does not need abundant watering. And the cold resistance of the bristle is also quite high.

Bristles are usually propagated by seeds, sowing them either on seedlings in April, or directly into open ground in May. At the same time, a single plant is endowed with the ability to form from five to ten thousand seeds, and the viability of these seeds in the soil can easily persist for up to ten years!

The bristle grows quickly enough, and at first its leaves are somewhat reminiscent of corn leaves. But when spike-shaped inflorescences, yellowing over time, begin to appear on it, it literally in a few days radically changes its appearance and becomes extremely decorative!