Pennisetum purpureum |
Pennisetum polystachion |
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elephant grass, Napier grass, Uganda grass |
mission grass |
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Habit | Plants perennial; sometimes rhizomatous. | Plants annual or perennial; cespitose from a hard, knotty base. | ||||
Culms | 2-8 m, erect, pubescent beneath the panicle; nodes glabrous or pubescent. |
30-200 cm, erect, branching; nodes glabrous. |
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Sheaths | glabrous or pubescent; ligules 1.5-5 mm; blades 23-125 cm long, (4)12-40 mm wide, flat, glabrous or pubescent. |
glabrous, margins ciliate; ligules 1.5-2.7 mm; blades 15-55 cm long, 4-18 mm wide, flat, glabrous or pubescent. |
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Panicles | terminal, 8-30.5 cm long, (10)30-50 mm wide, fully exerted from the leaf sheaths, erect, golden-yellow to dark purple; rachises terete, pubescent. |
terminal, 10-25 cm long, 15-30 mm wide, fully exerted from the sheaths, erect to drooping, white, yellow, light brown, or pink to deep purple; rachises terete, scabrous. |
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Spikelets | 5.9-7 mm, pedicellate; pedicels of terminal spikelets 0.2-0.4 mm, of other spikelets 1.8-3 mm; lower glumes absent or to 0.8 mm; upper glumes 0.8-3 mm, 0-1-veined; lower florets sterile or staminate; lower lemmas 4-5.3 mm, 3-5(6)-veined; lower paleas 4-4.7 mm; anthers absent or 2.2-3.1 mm, penicillate; upper lemmas 4.5-7 mm, subcoriaceous, shiny, 5-7-veined, acuminate; anthers 2.7-3.6 mm, penicillate. |
3-4.5 mm, sessile; lower glumes absent or to 2 mm, veinless; upper glumes 3-4.5 mm, glabrous, 5-7-veined, 3-lobed; lower florets sterile or staminate; lower lemmas 3-3.9 mm, 5-7-veined, apices lobed; lower paleas 2.9-3.7 mm; anthers absent or 1.7-2 mm; upper florets disarticulating at maturity; upper lemmas 1.7-3 mm, coriaceous, shiny, 5-veined, apices ciliate; anthers 1.3-2.1 mm. |
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Caryopses | 1.8-2.2 mm. |
about 1.7 mm, concealed by the lemma and palea at maturity. |
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Fascicles | 30-40 per cm, disarticulating at maturity; fascicle axes 0.5-1.5 mm, with 1-5 spikelets; outer bristles 20-63, 1.5-10.3 mm, yellow or purple, scabrous; inner bristles 4-6, 9.1-11.5 mm, yellow or purple, sparsely long-ciliate; primary bristles 13-40 mm, noticeably longer than the other bristles, yellow or purple, scabrous. |
33-45 per cm, disarticulating at maturity; fascicles axes 0.2-0.5 mm, with 1 spikelet; outer bristles 13-30, 1.3-5 mm, scabrous; inner bristles 6-14, 4.3-11.5 mm, long ciliate; primary bristles 14-25 mm, long-ciliate, noticeably longer than the other bristles. |
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2n | = 28. |
= 18, 36, 45, 48, 52, 53, 54, 56, 78. |
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Pennisetum purpureum |
Pennisetum polystachion |
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Distribution |
CA; FL; TX; HI; PR; Virgin Islands
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FL; TX; HI; PR |
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Discussion | Pennisetum purpureum is native to Africa but now grows in tropical areas throughout the world, frequently becoming naturalized. It is grown as an ornamental in the Flora region, and, less commonly, for forage. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Pennisetum polystachion is a polymorphic, weedy African species that has become established in the tropics and subtropics, including Florida. The U.S. Department of Agriculture considers it a noxious weed. Only Pennisetum polystachion subsp. setosum (Sw.) Brunken has been found in the Flora region. It differs from P. polystachion (L.) Schutt. subsp. polystachion as indicated: (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 25. | FNA vol. 25. | ||||
Parent taxa | Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Paniceae > Pennisetum | Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Paniceae > Pennisetum | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Name authority | Schumach. | (L.) Schult. | ||||
Web links |