• Widespread. Naturalisation in Australia in doubt; common in Oceania.
• Invasive annual, forming clumps over wide areas on disturbed, damp, shady ground, along roadsides, in forest clearings and crops. Weed of orchards, vegetables, root crops, plantations – banana, sugarcane, tea.
• Erect stems, up to 2m. Leaves, dark-green, spear-shaped, wrinkled, broad (up to 30mm). Ligule – line of short hairs. Branched flower heads, up to 25cm, spikelets with two egg-shaped flowers, each with long bristle, up to 10mm.
• Spread: vegetatively, stems rooting from lower nodes; seeds spread on machinery, animal fur, clothes. Long distance as seed contaminant of other species.
• Biosecurity: risk is seed as a contaminant of other pasture grasses and legumes. Check imported machinery/vehicles.
• Biocontrol: none.
• Cultural control: hand-weed; slashing (but stem pieces regrow). Clean soil and seed from machinery/vehicles; check clothing. Ensure hay is free from bristle foxtail grass.
• Chemical control: in Australia, butroxydim; glufosinate-ammonium; haloxyfop-P; oxyfluorfen; S-metolachlor; quizalofop-P-ethyl; pendimethaline. In Fiji, glyphosate.

Bristly foxtail grass; it is also known as corn grass, East Indies foxtail grass, Mary grass.

Setaria barbata. Previously, it was known as Chaetochloa barbata and Panicum barbatum. It is a member of the Poaceae.