Setaria palmifolia Stapf

Densely clumped perennials from short stout rhizome to c. 1 cm diam. Leaf-sheath coriaceous, rounded or slightly keeled, with numerous, spreading, stiff-acicular, tubercle-based hairs to 5 mm; margins densely ciliate or glabrous. Ligule ciliate, hairs to 15 mm, extending as a contra-ligule. Leaf-blade 40-75 × 4-8 cm, conspicuously plicate and palm-like, linear-elliptic, tapering to base, almost petiolate in lower leaves, sharply scabrid especially near and at margins, sometimes with soft hairs as well, tapering to long, acuminate tip. Culm 80-200 cm, terete, striate, with long hairs at nodes and often for some distance below nodes, internodes scabridulous below panicle and nodes. Panicle 25-60 ×c. 10-20 cm, very loosely branched, the longer branches pendulous; rachis almost smooth below, increasingly scabrid above, occasionally with scattered fine tubercle-based hairs; primary branches (3)-10-16 cm, scabrid, with shorter, scabrid branchlets bearing short-pedicelled, light green to purplish spikelets. Spikelets 3-4 mm, at least some, and usually the terminal one on each branchlet, subtended by a single antrorsely scabrid bristle (5-9 mm). Lower glume 1.5-2.5 mm, 5-nerved, upper 2-3.5 mm, c. ⅔-¾ length of spikelet, 5-7-nerved. Lower floret ♂ or Ø: lemma 5-nerved, acuminate; palea c. ½ length of lemma, hyaline, nerveless. Upper floret ☿: lemma chartaceous to crustaceous, apiculate, finely rugulose, convex; palea of same texture as lemma but with hyaline margins, keels glabrous, rounded; anthers 1.3-1.6 mm; caryopsis not seen.

A tropical plant. They are common and widely distributed from Luzon to Palawan and Mindanao in the Philippines. It grows from near sea level up to about 2400 m. It can grow in shady places and suits wet climates. This grass occurs as a wild plant, insignificantly used for food in several countries. These include Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Hawaii. Sometimes either the shoots or seeds of this wild plant are used as a famine food reserve. In Papua New Guinea, and to a smaller extent in other places, this species reaches significance as a domesticated, cultivated food plant. A number of named cultivated varieties occur. In the Cairns Botanical Gardens. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

The fattened shoots are eaten. They can be steamed, eaten raw or cooked with rice. The seeds are used as a substitute for rice in times of shortage. They are boiled or roasted.

Wild plants grow from seed. Garden types grow from pieces of the shoots. Plants are normally propagated by planting shoots. The young shoots are broken off the side of the plant. Shoots near the ground often have roots already growing on them so these shoots start growing more quickly. Portions of the stem can be planted because buds near the joints along the stem can produce new shoots. Wild plants are seed propagated. Cultivated types exist as fully domesticated plants independently of the weedy grass. It needs a reasonably fertile soil and is often planted on steep sides and edges of gardens. Its optimum altitudinal range is 120
 to 2400m. It can tolerate light shade. Plant spacings of about 1 m apart are used. Harvesting commences about 5 months after planting and may continue for up to 2 years.