Pennisetum

A genus of grasses in the family Poaceae.

• P. americanum, P. typhoides, P. glaucum — a large grass used as a fodder crop. Can be poisonous if infested with the fungus Claviceps fusiformis, known to cause agalactia in sows. Called also bulrush, Indian, horse or pearl millet.
• P. clandestinum — perennial, creeping grass with hairy leaves and inconspicuous seedheads. Has a rapid summer growth period; suitable for green chop, silage or grazing. May have a low fiber content and cause depression of fat content of milk. A very valuable grass producing an enormous bulk of feed in suitable climates. It can be poisonous, causing abdominal pain, paralysis of tongue and pharynx, and tremor. Probably caused by ingestion of fungi Myrothecium spp. and Phoma herbarum growing on plant debris after period of lush growth or infestation with army caterpillars. Can also cause oxalate and nitrite poisoning. Called also Kikuyu grass.
• P. glaucum — see Pennisetum americanum (above).
• P. polystachyon — P. purpureum. Called also mission grass.
• P. purpureum — its oxalate content is known and is associated with the occurrence of osteodystrophia fibrosa in horses. Called also elephant or Napier grass.
• P. typhoides — see Pennisetum americanum (above).

Pen-i-see'tum. A genus of 80 species of chiefly tropical grasses, some ornamental.

Description
Leaf blades flat and narrow, sometimes colored. Flowers in a spikelike panicle, the spikelets having beneath them bristles, sometimes plumed, often longer than the spikelets.

How to Grow
In early spring work up the soil and lay down a 2-3 ft. (60-90 cm) square of clear plastic. Secure the edges with soil. Cut a 6-in. (15-cm) cross in center, and plant seeds where they can grow through the slits. Cover plastic with dried grass clippings to shade out weeds. These grasses prefer warm weather.

Pennisetum setaceum
Fountain Grass . 3-4 ft. (90-120 cm) high. Leaf blades many, green or variously colored. Spikes to 14 in. (35 cm) long, curved or nodding, the bristles ¾ in. (19 mm) long. Ethiopia. Cultivars, with the spikes and foliage pink, rose-purple, coppery, or reddish. The leading ornamental species. Also called P. Ruppelii . Perennial grown as a half-hardy annual.

Pennisetum villosum
Feathertop . To 2 ft. (60 cm) high. Leaf blades many. Spikes to 4 in. (10 cm) long, off-white, feathery, with many bristles, to 2 in. (5 cm) long. Africa. Also called P. longistylum . Perennial grown as a half-hardy annual.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a genus of Old World grasses
  Synonym: genus Pennisetum

Pennisetum
Dense stand of Pennisetum pedicellatum in Hyderabad (India)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Subfamily:	Panicoideae
Tribe:	Paniceae
Genus:	Pennisetum Rich.
Species
About 80, see text

Pennisetum (pronounced /ˌpɛnɨˈsiːtəm/)^[1] is a genus of grasses in the family Poaceae, native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the world. They are large annual or perennial grasses growing 1–4 m tall, and are collectively known as the pennisetums. The related genus Cenchrus is occasionally included in Pennisetum.

Invasive Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum) growing on a lava flow near Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi

The genus includes a number of species grown for ornamental purposes (such as Fountain Grass, P. setaceum), as food (Pearl Millet, P. glaucum), and as pasture (Kikuyu Grass, P. clandestinum ). Napier Grass (P. purpureum) is employed in push–pull technology plantings to attract Ostrinia moths away from maize and sorghum fields.

Several pennisetums, including Fountain Grass, Kikuyu Grass and Feathertop Grass (P. villosum) have become invasive weeds, e.g. in Australia and on the Galápagos and Hawaiian Islands. In an agricultural context, they can be smothered with cover crops. In other contexts, they provide food for herbivores; Chestnut-breasted Munias (Lonchura castaneothorax) like to eat Pearl Millet seeds, while Dark Evening Brown (Melanitis leda) caterpillars and Delia larvae feed on Pennisetum plants. The sac fungus Cochliobolus sativus (anamorph: Bipolaris sorokiniana) is a plant pathogen infecting Pennisetum among other grasses, causing root rot and spot blotch diseases.

Selected species

• Pennisetum alopecuroides – Chinese Pennisetum, Dwarf Fountain Grass
• Pennisetum arnhemicum F.Muell.
• Pennisetum caffrum
• Pennisetum clandestinum – Kikuyu Grass
• Pennisetum divisum
• Pennisetum glaucum – Pearl Millet
• Pennisetum latifolium – Uruguay Pennisetum
• Pennisetum macrostachyum
• Pennisetum macrourum
• Pennisetum orientale
• Pennisetum pedicellatum
• Pennisetum polystachion (L.) Schult.
  • Pennisetum polystachion ssp. setosum (Swartz) Brunken (= P. setosum)
• Pennisetum purpureum – Napier Grass, Uganda Grass, "elephant grass"
• Pennisetum setaceum – Fountain Grass
• Pennisetum subangustum
• Pennisetum typhoides – Bulrush Millet
• Pennisetum villosum R.Br. ex Fresen. – Feathertop Grass, African Feather-grass

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pennisetum

References

1. ^ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607

External links

• Crop Wild Relatives Gap Analysis Portal reliable information source on where and what to conserve ex-situ, regarding Pennisetum genepool

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