- You are here:
- Dichotomous Key
- Poaceae
- Poaceae Group 10
- Panicum
- Panicum miliaceum
Panicum miliaceum — Proso millet
Copyright: various copyright holders. To reuse an image, please click it to see who you will need to contact.
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Facts
Proso millet is native to Asia and naturalized over much of the rest of the world, due to widespread cultivation. Proso millet is grown for its grain, a staple food in many parts of Asia and Africa. It has escaped to roadsides, yards and disturbed areas in all New England states.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats)
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf blade width
- 7–25 mm
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Spikelet length
- 4–6 mm
- Glume relative length
- both glumes are as long or longer than all of the florets
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- One or more florets
-
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- there is one floret per spikelet
- Lemma awn length
- 0 mm
- Leaf sheath hair type
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath, and some of the hairs have blisters at their bases
- Leaf ligule length
- 1–3 mm
-
Flowers
- Anther number
- 0–3
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- Bristles below spikelets
- no
- Floret lower bract texture
- the lemma is hard and firm
- Floret number
- 1–2
- Floret types within spikelet
-
- NA
- there are at least two distinct forms of florets within one spikelet
- Glume relative length
- both glumes are as long or longer than all of the florets
- Glume shape
- the glume is flat or curved in cross-section
- Glume veins
-
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7 or more
- Inflorescence arrangement
- the spikelets are uniform
- Inflorescence axis orientation
-
- the inflorescence axis bends downwards or hangs
- the inflorescence axis is arched or curved outward
- the inflorescence axis is straight
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Inflorescence crowding
- the panicle is somewhat to very congested (crowded), and the branches may not be clearly seen without close inspection
- Inflorescence length
- 60–200 mm
- Inflorescence type (general)
- the spikelets are borne on stalks or on branches
- Inflorescence type (specific)
- the inflorescence is branched, and the branches do NOT both grow from the same side of the plant AND look like spikes
- Lemma awn base
- NA
- Lemma awn coiled
- NA
- Lemma awn length
- 0 mm
- Lemma awn number
- the lemma has no awn
- Lemma awn orientation
- NA
- Lemma cross-section
- the lemma is flat or rounded if you cut across the midpoint
- Lemma surface
- the surface of the lemma is relatively smooth (not counting any longitudinal veins or hairs)
- Lemma tip
- the lemma tip is a simple point, with or without an awn (long narrow extension ending in a point)
- Lemma vein number
-
- 3
- 5
- 7 or more
- One or more florets
-
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- there is one floret per spikelet
- Palea relative length
- palea is one half to fully as long as lemma
- Spikelet axis tip
- there is no extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet
- Spikelet length
- 4–6 mm
- Spikelets spiny
- the spikelets do not appear spiny
- Upper glume shape
- the upper glume is widest at or below the middle
-
Growth form
- Lifespan
- the plant lives only a single year or less
-
Leaves
- Leaf auricles
- the leaves do not have auricles
- Leaf blade width
- 7–25 mm
- Leaf ligule length
- 1–3 mm
- Leaf ligule type
- the leaf ligule is in the form of a membrane with fine hairs
- Leaf sheath closed around stem
- the margins of the leaf sheath are overlapping and not fused together except in the basal half (or less)
- Leaf sheath hair type
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath, and some of the hairs have blisters at their bases
- Leaf sheath hairs
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
- man-made or disturbed habitats
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Stem spacing
-
- the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts
- the stems grow singly or a few together (they may form diffuse colonies)
Wetland status
Not classified
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
Native to North America?
No
Sometimes confused with
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
5. Panicum miliaceum L. ssp. miliaceum E
Proso millet. CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Roadsides, yards, waste places, disturbed soil.