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pearl millet, yellow bristlegrass

kikuyu grass

Habit Plants annual. Plants perennial; rhizomatous and stoloniferous.
Culms

50-300 cm, erect, branching;

nodes glabrous.

3-45 cm, decumbent, highly branching;

nodes glabrous.

Sheaths

glabrous or pubescent, with or without ciliate margins;

ligules 2-5 mm;

blades 15-100 cm long, 7-70 mm wide, flat, glabrous or pubescent.

glabrous or pubescent;

ligules 1.3-2.2 mm;

blades 1-15 cm long, 1-6 mm wide, flat or folded, glabrous or pubescent.

Panicles

terminal, 4-200 cm long, 2-70 mm wide, fully exerted from the sheaths, erect;

rachises terete, densely pubescent.

2-2.7 cm, axillary, concealed in the sheaths;

rachises flat, glabrous or scabrous.

Spikelets

3-7 mm;

pedicels 0.6-1.8 mm;

lower glumes absent or to 1.5 mm, veinless;

upper glumes 0.5-3.5 mm, 3-5-veined;

lower florets staminate or sterile;

lower lemmas 1.5-6 mm, glabrous, 3-7-veined, margins ciliate;

lower paleas vestigial or fully developed, margins ciliate;

anthers 2.2-2.5 mm, penicillate;

upper florets coriaceous, shiny;

upper lemmas 4.3-7 mm, 5-7(9)-veined, margins ciliate;

upper paleas 3.4-3.9 mm, pubescent, at least near the base, margins ciliate;

anthers 2-2.2 mm, penicillate.

10-22 mm, sessile or pedicellate, pedicels to 0.2 mm;

lower glumes usually absent, sometimes to 0.5 mm, veinless;

upper glumes 0-1.3(3.5) mm, veinless;

lower florets sterile;

lower lemmas 10-22 mm, 9-13-veined;

lower paleas usually absent;

upper lemmas 10-22 mm, 8-12-veined;

upper paleas 2-7-veined;

anthers 4.7-7 mm, long-exserted from the florets at anthesis.

Caryopses

2-5.5 mm long, 1.6-3.2 mm wide, protruding from the lemma and palea at maturity.

Fascicles

33-160 per cm;

fascicle axes 1-28 mm, persistent, with 1-9 spikelets;

outer bristles 44-131, 0.5-6 mm;

inner bristles 6-19, 4-6 mm, plumose;

primary bristles 5.5-6.3, ciliate, sometimes noticeably longer than the other bristles.

1-6;

axes to 0.5 mm, with 1-2 spikelets;

outer and inner bristles alike, 6-15, 0.5-10.9 mm;

primary bristles 10-14 mm, usually not noticeably longer than the other bristles.

2n

= 14.

= 36.

Pennisetum glaucum

Pennisetum clandestinum

Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; PR
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CA; HI; PR; Virgin Islands
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Pennisetum glaucum, a native of Asia, is cultivated in the United States for grain, forage, and birdseed. It is the most drought tolerant of the tropical cereal crops. Under favorable conditions, 10,000-30,000+ fascicles may be produced. In the Flora region, it is used for soil stabilization, partly because it seldom persists for more than 1-2 years.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Pennisetum clandestinum is native to Africa. It now grows in many parts of the world, often as a forage or lawn grass. The U.S. Department of Agriculture considers it a noxious weed. In parts of the Flora region, it is well-established in lawns.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 25. FNA vol. 25.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Paniceae > Pennisetum Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Paniceae > Pennisetum
Sibling taxa
P. advena, P. alopecuroides, P. ciliare, P. clandestinum, P. flaccidum, P. latifolium, P. macrostachys, P. macrourum, P. nervosum, P. orientale, P. pedicellatum, P. petiolare, P. polystachion, P. purpureum, P. setaceum, P. setigerum, P. villosum
P. advena, P. alopecuroides, P. ciliare, P. flaccidum, P. glaucum, P. latifolium, P. macrostachys, P. macrourum, P. nervosum, P. orientale, P. pedicellatum, P. petiolare, P. polystachion, P. purpureum, P. setaceum, P. setigerum, P. villosum
Name authority (L.) R. Br. Hochst. ex Chiov.
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