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crimson fountain grass, Fountaingrass, tender Fountaingrass

Chinese Fountaingrass, foxtail Fountaingrass

Habit Plants perennial, or annual in temperate climates; cespitose. Plants perennial; cespitose.
Culms

40-150 cm, erect, pubescent beneath the panicle;

nodes glabrous.

30-100 cm, erect;

nodes glabrous.

Sheaths

glabrous, margins ciliate;

ligules 0.2-0.5 mm, membranous, ciliate;

blades (10)30-60 cm long, 2-8(12) mm wide, flat to folded, glabrous, margins ciliate basally.

Leaves

green, sometimes glaucous;

sheaths glabrous, margins ciliate;

ligules 0.5-1.1 mm;

blades 20-65 cm long, 2-3.5 mm wide, convolute or folded, scabrous, midvein noticeably thickened.

Panicles

(6)8-32 cm long, 40-52 mm wide, erect or arching, pink to dark burgundy;

rachises pubescent.

all terminal, 6-20 cm long, 20-53 mm wide, fully exerted from the sheaths, erect, green to brown, deep purple, or stramineous to creamy-white;

rachises terete, with pubescent hairs.

Spikelets

4.5-7 mm, sessile or pedicellate;

pedicels to 0.1 mm;

lower glumes absent or to 0.3 mm, veinless;

upper glumes 1.2-3.6 mm, (0)1-veined;

lower florets usually sterile, sometimes staminate;

lower lemmas 4-6 mm, 3-veined, acuminate, midvein excurrent to 0.7 mm;

lower paleas usually absent, if present, to 4.4 mm;

anthers absent or 2.3-2.4 mm;

upper lemmas 4.5-6.7 mm, attenuate, 5-veined, midvein excurrent to 0.7 mm, margins glabrous;

anthers 2.1-2.7 mm.

5.5-8.4 mm, sessile or subsessile, glabrous;

pedicels to 0.1 mm;

lower glumes 0.2-1.4 mm, veinless;

upper glumes 2-4.9 mm, to 1/2 as long as the spikelet, 1-5-veined, acute to broadly acute;

lower florets sterile;

lower lemmas 4.9-8.1 mm, 7-9(10)-veined;

lower paleas absent;

upper lemmas 5.2-7.6 mm, 5-7-veined, acuminate;

anthers 3, 3-4.5 mm.

Fascicles

8-10 per cm;

fascicle axes 2.3-4.5 mm, with 1-4 spikelets;

outer bristles 28-65, 0.9-19 mm;

inner bristles 8-16, 8-27 mm, ciliate;

primary bristles 26.5-34.3 mm, ciliate, noticeably longer than the other bristles.

9-16 per cm;

fascicle axes 1.5-5.6 mm, with a stipelike base of 1-5.6 mm and 1(2) spikelet(s);

outer bristles 13-19, 0.8-15.6 mm;

inner bristles 7-10, 11.2-30 mm, scabrous;

primary bristles 26.7-35 mm, scabrous, usually not noticeably longer than the other bristles.

2n

= 27.

= 18.

Pennisetum setaceum

Pennisetum alopecuroides

Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; FL; KY; LA; NM; OR; TN; HI
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AR; IL; NC; NY; OH; PA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Pennisetum setaceum is a desert grass native to the eastern Mediterranean region. It is a popular ornamental throughout the southern United States, but it is also an invasive weed.

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

Pennisetum alopecuroides is native to southeast Asia. It is frequently grown as an ornamental in the Flora region.

(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. glaucum, P. latifolium, P. macrostachys, P. macrourum, P. nervosum, P. orientale, P. pedicellatum, P. petiolare, P. polystachion, P. purpureum, P. setigerum, P. villosum
P. advena, 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. purpureum, P. setaceum, P. setigerum, P. villosum
Synonyms Paspalum debile
Name authority (Forssk.) Chiov. (L.) Spreng.
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