yellow foxtail
Setaria pumila                                    

Identifying Characteristics:

Seed:    palea side flat and covers less than 1/2 of the seed; rough lemma with wavy ridges; yellow to dark brown in color; larger than green foxtail

Seedling:    leaves rolled in whorl; flat, pointed leaf blades with smooth margins; long, twisted hairs near base of leaf; no auricles; ligule is a fringe of short hairs

Mature Plant: bunch-type growth habit; dense, cylindrical panicle; 5 or more bristles per spikelet

Method of Propagation: seed

Life Cycle: warm-season annual

Similar Species: green foxtail - compare seed size, density of panicle, and bristles per spikelet

References: Abaye, A. Ozzie. "Identification & Adaption: Common Grasses, Legumes & Non-leguminous Forbs of the Eastern United States."
Bryson, Charles T. & Michael S DeFelice. "Weeds of the Midwestern United States & Central Canada."