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elephant grass, Napier grass, Uganda grass

mission grass

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.

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.

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.

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.

Caryopses

1.8-2.2 mm.

about 1.7 mm, concealed by the lemma and palea at maturity.

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.

2n

= 28.

= 18, 36, 45, 48, 52, 53, 54, 56, 78.

Pennisetum purpureum

Pennisetum polystachion

Distribution
from FNA
CA; FL; TX; HI; PR; Virgin Islands
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
FL; TX; HI; PR
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.)

Key
1. Plants annual, usually profusely branching; fascicles white, pink, red, or deep purple
subsp. polystachion
1. Plants perennial, usually sparingly branched; fascicles yellow, light brown, or purplish
subsp. setosum
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. glaucum, P. latifolium, P. macrostachys, P. macrourum, P. nervosum, P. orientale, P. pedicellatum, P. petiolare, P. polystachion, P. setaceum, P. setigerum, P. villosum
P. advena, P. alopecuroides, P. ciliare, P. clandestinum, P. flaccidum, P. glaucum, P. latifolium, P. macrostachys, P. macrourum, P. nervosum, P. orientale, P. pedicellatum, P. petiolare, P. purpureum, P. setaceum, P. setigerum, P. villosum
Subordinate taxa
P. polystachion subsp. polystachion, P. polystachion subsp. setosum
Name authority Schumach. (L.) Schult.
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