Pennisetum advena

Wipff & Veldkamp
Common names: Purple fountaingrass
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 25.

Plants perennial, or annual in temperate climates; cespitose. Culms 1-1.5 m, erect, sometimes branching above, pubescent beneath the panicle; nodes glabrous. Leaves burgundy (rarely green); sheaths glabrous, margins ciliate; ligules 0.5-0.8 mm; blades 33-52 cm long, 6-11 mm wide, flat, antrorsely scabridulous, margins ciliate basally, midvein not noticeably thickened. Panicles 23-32 cm long, 30-58 mm wide, fully exerted from the sheaths, flexible, drooping, burgundy (rarely pale or whitish-green); rachises terete, pubescent. Fascicles 10-17 per cm, disarticulating at maturity; fascicle axes 1-2 mm, with 1-3 spikelets; outer bristles 43-68, 1.2-18.5 mm, terete, scabrous; inner bristles 4-10, 11.7-25 mm, long-ciliate; primary bristles 21.3-33.6 mm, ciliate, noticeably longer than the other bristles. Spikelets 5.3-6.5 mm; pedicels 0.1-0.3 mm; lower glumes 0.5-1 mm, veinless; upper glumes 1.9-3.6 mm, 0-1-veined; lower florets staminate; lower lemmas 4.7-6.1 mm, 5(6)-veined; lower paleas 4.5-5 mm; anthers 2-2.5 mm; upper flo¬rets not disarticulating at maturity; upper lemmas 5.2-6.1 mm, 5-veined; anthers 2.5-2.7 mm. Caryopses concealed by the lemma and palea at maturity. 2n = 54.

Distribution

Calif., Fla., Pacific Islands (Hawaii), Tex.

Discussion

The origin of Pennisetum advena is uncertain. It is frequently cultivated as an ornamental, usually being sold as P. setaceum 'Rubrum'.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.