Kingdom Plantae Family Poaceae Scientific name Pennisetum setaceum Rank Species | Order Poales Genus Pennisetum Higher classification Fountaingrasses | |
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Similar Fountaingrasses, Grasses, Pennisetum alopecuroides, Pampas grass, Needle grasses | ||
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, and has become an invasive species in some of them. It is drought-tolerant, grows fast, reaches 3 feet in height, and has many purple, plumose flower spikes.
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Pennisetum setaceum rubrum red fountain grass
Environmental threat
Fountaingrass has been introduced to Tenerife, Sicily, Sardinia, southern Spain, Australia, South Africa, Hawaii, the Western United States, 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.
