A patch of luxuriant, freshly sprouted Setaria megaphylla reminds of monoculture crops like maize, producing masses of foliage. The bright green leaves in the early growth stages are fairly erect as seen here. The leaf blades will later succumb in compromise with gravity, forming a criss-cross tangle.

The longitudinally pleated leaf blade of S. megaphylla is lance-shaped, occasionally up to 10 cm wide. It has rough margins. The ligule at the junction between the usually hairy leaf sheath below and the blade above is a fringe of hairs in this species; in some others a membrane (Lowrey and Wright, 1987; Van Oudtshoorn and Van Wyk, 1991; www.plantzafrica.com).