Foxtail millet
species of plant
Foxtail millet, scientific name Setaria italica (synonym Panicum italicum L.), is an annual grass grown for human food. It is the second-most widely planted species of millet and the most grown millet species in Asia. The oldest evidence of foxtail millet cultivation was found along the ancient course of the Yellow River in Cishan, China, carbon dated to be from around 8,000 years ago.
Other names for the species include dwarf setaria, foxtail bristle-grass, giant setaria, green foxtail, Italian millet, German millet, and Hungarian millet.
Description
Foxtail millet is an annual grass with slim, vertical, leafy stems which can reach a height of 120–200 cm (4–6+1⁄2 ft).
The seedhead is a dense, hairy panicle 5–30 cm (2–12 in) long.
The small seeds, around 2 millimetres (3⁄32 in) in diameter, are encased in a thin, papery hull which is easily removed in threshing. Seed color varies greatly between varieties.
Taxonomy
Synonyms:
Common names for foxtail millet in other languages spoken in the countries where it is cultivated include:
Assamese: কণী ধান (koni dhaan)
Bengali: কাওন দানা (kaon dana)
Bisaya: dawa
Georgian: ღომი (ghomi)
Gujarati: kang
Gurung : tohro
Hindi: कांगणी (Kangni)
Japanese: awa (粟)
Javanese: jawawut
Khasi: krâi
Kashmiri: pinga
Kannada: ನವಣೆ (navane) or ನವಣಕ್ಕಿ (navanakki)
Kokborok: Maichwi
Korean: jo (조). The grain obtained from it is called jopsal (좁쌀), a word that is commonly used in Korean as a metaphor for pettiness or innumerable small things (such as bumps of a skin rash)
Malay: sekoi, jawawut
Mandarin Chinese: su (粟).
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