Thanks, Gary, for this question and the ideas. I've had an interest in nomenclature for millets for a while, with the idea that the binomial names with "millet" we use for many of them are confusing, and tend to lead to a collapsing of these distinct grains into one amorphous category. I'll come back to that, but first to the issue you raise. "Little millet" (Panicum sumatrense) has to be the least distinguishing combination for one crop species out of many that are known for small grains (i.e., the millets). And potentially confusing as well. One Senegalese friend who's a history professor once asked about the relationship between "little millet" and the grain commonly known in the French of West Africa as "petit mil," which also translates as "little millet." In the parlance of that region, petit mil is pearl millet, and gros mil ( millet) is sorghum. Of course, little millet and pearl millet are different in many ways. It turns out that in French, a name for the former is "petit millet" - that language having in effect two ways to refer to millet: mil (which in my understanding correlates with "major millets"); and "millet" (minor or small millets, and sometimes the whole bunch). That's a different discussion, so will leave it there for now. Sama and variants, as you note, are indeed frequent common names among languages of India. However, there is also an overlap with terminology for Indian barnyard millet (Echinochloa frumentacea)./1 /2 /3 A search on "sama millet" turned up the latter, rather than little millet. So it seems there is a potential for confusion - even if separate names that are similar are involved. There would seem to be a benefit to reviewing the overall millets namespace before assigning names for those millets like little millet that are less well known - or virtually unknown - worldwide. Since little millet is more cultivated and marketed in India, e might look to how it is most referred to in English there, and for comparisons with how barnyard millet is handled. Borrowing and adapting names from other languages is a time-honored tradition. We already have terms from Indian languages adopted into English as used in India: "ragi" (Hindi, Kannada) for finger millet (Eleusine coracana) and "kodo" (Hindi, and variations in Gujarati & Marathi) for kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum). We sometimes see "ragi millet," which is a bit redundant, but the "millet" component is not needed outside perhaps of cases where disambiguation is helpful. We typically see "kodo millet" (altho where it is known as a weed, other names like rice grass are used), but one can easily use just "kodo" where the context is clear. "Ragi" is used alone on the front of packages of grain or flour of finger millet from India, whereas I Proso, as you note, is already used in English. It of course comes from Slavic languages like Ukranian, Polish, and Russian (altho the latter language, at least, also has a different name for the plant). Proso stands alone easily, and we're already using it sometimes in that way. A different case is "adlay," occasionally also seen as "adlay millet," for Job's tears. Adlay comes from Cebuano and/or Tagalog, and is already seen in various contexts - articles and on packaged grains - altho not consistently. Regarding foxtail millet (Setaria italica), * I'm not sure that a different binomial common name would be the best solution. You suggested "Italian millet" based on the specific name, but of course this millet originated in and is most produced for grain in China. Interestingly, as has been mentioned on Collab previously, the term "Chinese millet" has been used to describe foxtail millet as it is being introduced in East Africa (with particular mention of Uganda)./4 * A while back, I suggested using the Chinese "xiaomi" (pronounced shao-me), which applies to the grain (there's another name for the plant)./5 TO be honest, however, I'm not sure how easy it would be to popularize this term in this spelling, or even another spelling. * Spanish has "panizo," and Italian "panico," which refer to foxtail millet, but as common names, they have had other applications as well. And other binomial terms are used more currently to apply to this grain. Confusingly, the root for panizo and panico is the Latin panus, which is also the root for the Panicum genus. So this is also probably a non-starter. (It almost seems that the references of the Latin "pānus" and "milium" flipped between * There are various names in the languages of India * One might also look at Slavic languages, where "chumiza" (or variants) is used for this grain in distinction from proso. Returning to little millet, we might ask the authors of the article I just cited to ask what ideas they have. Then too, freinds of NAMA who are familiar with this grain and marketing of it in India. The questions would benefit from the comparison with names for barnyard millets as mentioned above. In general, I think there is an advantage to having single unique names for millets - such as we already have for sorghum (a.k.a. milo), teff, and fonio, and are emerging for proso, ragi, kodo, and adlay. They confer a clearer identity, and can be moe useful in marketing. It's likely a long process, but good to get it underway. Thanks for raising the question All the best, Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance Notes: 1. https://www.secondrecipe.com/millets-pictures-with-names/ 2. https://aaraliving.com/millets-of-india/ 3. https://pammiskitchen.weebly.com/names-of-millets-in-different-languages.htm... 4. https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.space... 5. https://donosborn.org/blog/2015/four-millets-3-foxtail-millet-or-xiaomi/ 6. It almost seems that the references of the original Latin "pānus" and "milium" flipped between proso and foxtail over the course of evolution of West European languages. Not in a position to argue the case at this time, however. On Mon, Feb 16, 2026 at 10:04 AM Gary Wietgrefe via Collab < collab@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
What do you think we should call "little" millet?
Thank you Don for alerting us to new genetic developments of little millet. Outside this correspondence community, "little" millet discussions can be extremely confusing. Foxtail millet seeds are a third the size of proso, and proso is considered a small seed. "Little" millet has even smaller seed than foxtail.
We need nomenclature so the public can identify different millets. Proso, although an odd word, seems appropriate. Foxtail millets, I suggest, we should refer to as "Italian" millets taken from the Latin name, Setaria italica. (German R is a commonly planted variety, but calling foxtail millet "German" millet would be even more confusing.)
Since "little" millets have at least nine different names, in various languages seven begin with "S." They are Shavan, Sama, Saamai, Samalu, Sava, Suan, Saame, and I might as well throw in the Malayalam "Chama" (which could sound like and "S").
Therefore, I propose we standardize an English name for "little" millet beginning with the letter "S." Topic is open to all.
What do you think we should call "little" millet?....Gary Wietgrefe
On Sun, Feb 15, 2026 at 5:00 PM <collab-request@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
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Today's Topics:
1. Mapping little millet's genome - recent milestone (Don Osborn)
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Message: 1 Date: Sun, 15 Feb 2026 12:38:12 -0500 From: Don Osborn <don@milletsalliance.org> Subject: [Collab] Mapping little millet's genome - recent milestone To: "NAMA's Collab list" <collab@lists.millets2023.space> Message-ID: <CA+RHibUHYRkzweJ_5cVd= 0u_cgfPP_+XqpjDig3J0FoEwhsKSA@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
A near-complete genome of little millet (Panicum sumatrense) has been decoded by an Indo-Canadian team led by the ICAR - Indian Institute of Millets Research's Global Centre of Excellence on Millets.
Little millet is an allotetraploid, like its cousin, proso or broomcorn millet (P. miliaceum), meaning that it has two sets of chromosomes. That evolution would have long predated its domestication, which occurred prior to the Early Harappan period in the Indus valley region some 5000 years ago.
Here are links to two descriptions of the little millet genome work, and to the research article on which they are based: * "Genome map of little millet paves way for nutrient-rich climate-resilient crops," Nature India, 30 Nov. 2025 https://www.nature.com/articles/d44151-025-00224-w * "ICAR with International Collaboration Releases First Chromosome-Scale Genome of Little Millet, Unlocking New Era in Climate-Smart Millet Improvement," ICAR, n.d.,
https://icar.org.in/en/icar-international-collaboration-releases-first-chrom...
* Gali, K.K., Koh, K.C., Satyavathi, T.C., et al. "Little millet genome reveals evolutionary insights into tetraploid structure and genetic basis of micronutrient density." Nature Communications17, 74 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-66716-6
Abstract from the research article:
"Little millet is a hardy and nutrient-rich cereal which improves food and nutritional security in marginal environments. Despite its importance, genomic resources for this orphan crop have been limited. Here, we report a high quality, chromosome-scale genome assembly of little millet comprising 18 chromosomes and 59,045 genes. Eleven chromosomes are assembled from telomere to telomere, revealing an 850 Mb tetraploid genome that closely resembles broomcorn millet. Comparative analyses indicate early stages of diploidization, characterized by gene loss and subgenome-specific expression biases that vary across genes and tissues. Resequencing of 300 accessions uncovers extensive genetic diversity, including single-nucleotide polymorphism and structural variants. Genome-wide association studies identify genetic loci linked to grain micronutrient traits, including several associated with high iron content. These genomic and phenotypic resources provide a foundation for molecular breeding and marker-assisted selection, enabling the improvement of little millet as a climate-resilient crop to support global food and nutritional security."
Other institutional partners in the research include University of Saskatchewan, National Research Council Canada / Conseil national de recherches Canada, and University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore.
The full list of contributing authors to the research article: Krishna Kishore Gali, Kevin C. Koh, Tara Chellapilla Satyavathi, Ganapathy Kuyyamudi Nanaiah, K. B. Palanna, Morgan W. Kirzinger, Sandeep Nanjundappa, Sampath Perumal, Deekshitha Bomireddy, H. B. Mahesh, Harshal Eknath Patil, Raju Chaudhary, Loveleen Kaur Dhillon, Venkat Bandi, V. B. Reddy Lachagari, Surya Teja Veeramachaneni, Renuka Malipatil, Peng Gao, Shankar Pahari, Andrew G. Sharpe, Thomas D. Warkentin, Raju Soolanayakanahally, M. K. Prasannakumar, Nepolean Thirunavukkarasu & Sateesh Kagale
Little millet is NAMA's millet-of-the-month in February.
Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance
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-- Author, Gary W. Wietgrefe, https://www.RelatingtoAncients.com/ Enjoy Wietgrefe's (pronounced "wit' grif") dozen books, patents, and international research on millets, agronomy, cultural changes, travel adventure, poetry, and history.
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