Foxtail millet
Setaria italica (L.) P.Beauv.
Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) is an annual grass; its dense nodding panicle carries small yellow grains; the grain is cooked into nourishing porridge that tonifies the spleen, and the crop was domesticated in China many millennia ago.
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Gallery
Foxtail millet — Millet congeeFoxtail millet — Plant
Foxtail millet — Plant (2)
Foxtail millet — Panicle
Foxtail millet — Panicle (2)
Foxtail millet — GrainsFoxtail millet — Millet congeeFoxtail millet — PlantOverview
Foxtail millet (Setaria italica), also called Italian millet, is an annual grass of the family Poaceae, domesticated in China some 8,000–10,000 years ago and among the oldest food crops on earth. It grows 50–150 cm tall, erect and tufted, with narrow strap-shaped leaves 20–40 cm long bearing short hairs. The inflorescence is a dense, cylindrical to ovoid panicle 5–25 cm long that nods at the tip, made of tightly packed spikelets with stiff bristles (setae) — the source of the scientific name Setaria. The small grains, with yellow, white, red or black husks depending on the cultivar, hold a kernel rich in starch, protein, fibre, iron and zinc. In Vietnam the grain is cooked into porridge or rice dishes, and it is a familiar food for pet birds. In traditional Chinese medicine millet is regarded as a tonic for the spleen that strengthens qi and digestion. The plant tolerates drought and poor soils, has a short growing season of 60–100 days, and was once widely grown in the mountains and Central Highlands of Vietnam.
Life cycle
From seed to productPlant
https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Japanese_Foxtail_millet_02.jpg/1920px-Japanese_Foxtail_millet_02.jpg
Panicle
https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Setaria_italica_subsp._italica_sl41.jpg/1920px-Setaria_italica_subsp._italica_sl41.jpg
Grains
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Foxtailmillet.jpg
Product
https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/A_BOWL_OF_FOXTAL_MILLET_CONGEE.jpg/1920px-A_BOWL_OF_FOXTAL_MILLET_CONGEE.jpg
Distribution & origin
Share of recorded occurrences by region- China45%
- India & South Asia20%
- Russia & Central Asia10%
- Africa10%
- Other regions15%
Chemical composition
Relative content in agarwood resin- Carbohydrates (starch)72%
- Protein11%
- Water11%
- Fibre3%
- Minerals & vitamins2.5%
- Fat0.5%
Uses
- Food: grain cooked into porridge, rice dishes and cakes; rich in protein, fibre, iron and zinc; gluten-free
- Traditional medicine: millet tonifies the spleen, boosts qi and strengthens the stomach; used for weak digestion
- Fodder: stems and leaves as hay and straw for livestock; grain fed to pet birds
- Agriculture & other: grown as a cover and soil-improving crop in dry areas; straw used for mulching and crafts
Properties
- Form
- Annual grass
- Panicle
- Dense, nodding
- Grain
- Small, yellow, nutritious
- Nature & use
- Tonifies the spleen, boosts qi; cooked as porridge
Habitat & conservation
Foxtail millet is one of the oldest food crops, domesticated in China about 8,000–10,000 years ago. Today it is grown throughout the warm temperate, subtropical and dry tropical zones, especially in China, India and Africa. It tolerates drought and poor soils very well and has a short growing season of 60–100 days. In Vietnam it was once grown widely in the mountains and the Central Highlands, mainly for grain for porridge and bird feed.
Conservation
A widely cultivated species worldwide, not yet assessed by IUCN (NE). Grass family (Poaceae), genus Setaria.
References
- 1Plants of the World Online — Setaria italica (L.) P.Beauv. — Kew Science, 2026
- 2Foxtail millet — mô tả, trồng trọt, sử dụng — Wikipedia tiếng Anh, 2026
- 3Kê — đặc điểm, công dụng — Wikipedia tiếng Việt, 2026
- 4小米 Setaria italica — 形態、栽培、食用 — Wikipedia tiếng Trung, 2026
- 5Nguồn ảnh: STRONGlk7 (CC BY-SA 3.0) / Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz (CC BY-SA 4.0) / Stefan.lefnaer (CC BY-SA 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 6Nguồn ảnh: Mark Nesbitt (Public domain) / Dinkun Chen (CC BY-SA 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons,