Plants perennial. Culms 100-200 cm, nodes villous. Sheaths sparsely strigose or glabrous; ligules about 2 mm, of hairs; blades 40-60 cm long, 20-80 mm wide, strongly plicate, with scattered hairs on each surface. Panicles 30-60 cm, lanceoloid; branches 2-5 cm, stiff; bristles solitary, usually present only below the terminal spikelet on each branch, occasionally below non-terminal spikelets, 1-1.5 cm. Spikelets 3-3.5 mm. Lower glumes1/2 as long as the spikelets, 3-veined; upper glumes 2/3 as long as the spikelets, 5-7-veined; lower lemmas equaling the upper lemmas, 5-veined; lower paleas absent or reduced to a small scale; upper lemmas about 3 mm, nearly smooth, shiny. 2n = 54.

Setaria megaphylla is a species of tropical Africa and tropical America that has become established in Florida. Hitchcock (1951) stated that S. poiretiana (Schult.) Kunth was occasionally cultivated in the United States, but he was referring to S. megaphylla.

Plants perennial. Culms 1-2 m. Sheaths strigose, margins with stiff hairs; collars hispid; ligules about 2 mm, of hairs; blades to 50 cm long, 20-80 mm wide, plicate, tapering at both ends, abaxial surfaces sparsely strigose, adaxial surfaces short pubescent near the base. Panicles to 40 cm, open; branches 6-10 cm, loosely flexible, axes scabrous; bristles solitary, usually present only below the terminal spikelet on each branch, occasionally below non-terminal spikelets, about 5 mm. Spikelets 3-4 mm, elliptic, acuminate. Lower glumes 1/2 as long as the spikelets, obtuse, 3-4-veined; upper glumes nearly equaling the upper lemmas, 7-veined, acute; lower lemmas exceeding the upper lemmas, 5-veined, apices involute; lower paleas nearly equaling the lower lemmas in length and width; upper lemmas obscurely transversely rugose, yellow, apiculate. 2n = 54.

Setaria palmifolia is primarily an Asiatic species. It is a common species in Jamaica, and has been reported from scattered locations around the southern coast of the United States. In the Flora region it is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental for the conspicuous, plicate leaves and large panicles. In Southeast Asia the grains are eaten as a substitute for rice and the tender, thickened shoots as a vegetable.