Pennisetum setaceum

Pennisetum setaceum
Pennisetum setaceum habit
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
(unranked): Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Pennisetum
Species: P. setaceum
Binomial name
Pennisetum setaceum
(Forssk.) Chiov.

Pennisetum setaceum, commonly known as crimson fountaingrass, is a C4 perennial bunch grass that is native to open, scrubby habitats in East Africa, tropical Africa, Middle East and SW Asia. It has been introduced to many parts of the world as an ornamental plant. It is drought-tolerant, grows fast, reaches 3 feet in height, and has many purple, plumose flower spikes.

Environmental threat

Fountaingrass has been introduced to Tenerife,[1] Sicily, Sardinia, southern Spain, Australia,[2] South Africa, Hawaii, the Western United States,[3] California, and southern Florida. It thrives in warmer, drier areas and threatens many native species, with which it competes very effectively as an invasive species. It also tends to increase the risk of intense wildfires, to which it is well adapted, thus posing a further threat to certain native species.

Horticulture

Various cultivars are grown as ornamental grasses for horticulture and landscape use, such as Pennisetum setaceum var. rubrum (red fountain grass). The species, often grown as an annual, has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[4]

Gallery

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pennisetum setaceum.
Wikispecies has information related to: Pennisetum setaceum

References

  1. ↑ "Tackling Exotic Flora in the Teno Rural Park". Secret Tenerife. 28 January 2007. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  2. ↑ "Fountain Grass". Weed Identification & Information. Australian Weeds Committee. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  3. ↑ "Fountain Grass". Alien Plant Working Group. Plant Conservation Alliance. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  4. ↑ http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=3769

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, May 07, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.