Plant Name
Scientific Name: Pennisetum setaceum
Synonyms: Pennisetum ruppelii, Phalaris setacea
Common Names: Crimson Fountaingrass, Fountain Grass
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Graminoid
Arizona Native Status: Introduced. This naturalized ornamental grass is native to Africa.
Habitat: Desert, Upland (lower elevation), Riparian. This attractive, weedy grass grows in canyons, on rocky hillsides, and along roadsides.
Flower Color: Inconspicuous (yellow)
Flowering Season: Summer, Fall
Height: To 3 1/2 feet (1.1 m) tall and equally as wide
Description: The tiny flowers are hidden in long, narrowly cylindrical, upright to arching, feathery, pink or purplish aging to white inflorescences on tall, slender stems above the leaves. The numerous leaf blades are long, narrowly linear, green to tinged purplish, and upright, arching, and/or drooping. The plants are graceful and fountain-shaped.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Liliopsida – Monocotyledons
Subclass: Commelinidae
Order: Cyperales
Family: Poaceae – Grass family
Genus: Pennisetum Rich. ex Pers. – fountaingrass
Species: Pennisetum setaceum (Forssk.) Chiov. – crimson fountaingrass
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