Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Grass
Tender Perennial
Origin
-
Southeastern Asia, India, Melanesia, Micronesia
Types
-
Variegata Dwarf, Variegata Chinese Beauty
Number of Varieties
320
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cultivated Beds, Riverbanks
Tropical regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
8-118-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12 - 8
12-5
Sunset Zone
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Upright/Erect
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm180.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.00 cm120.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
White, Red, Light Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Multi-Color
Fruit Color
Sandy Brown, Tan
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Gold
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Long slender
Lance shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Salt
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
By dividing rhizomes, tubers
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Requires plenty of water during the growing season
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Cut off the flower stalks at the base of the plant, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Soil test crop response correlation (STCR) based integrated fertilizer
Apply 8-4-6 amount
Pests and Diseases
Bacterial leaf spot, Curvularia blotch, Downy mildew, Rust
-
Plant Tolerance
Salt
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
-
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds
Butterflies
Allergy
-
Rash
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Removes pimples
Good for skin
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Appetizer, Heart problems, Tonic
Antiulcerogenic, Diuretic, Hypotensive
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Leaves, Rhizomes
Other Uses
Animal Feed, Fibre, Food for animals
Can be made into a herbal tea, Leaves used for wrapping zongi, Used to flavour noodles, Used to wrap mochi rice cakes
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Container, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Mixed Border
Container, Cutflower, Mixed Border, Screening / Wind Break, Tropical
Botanical Name
PENNISETUM glaucum
ALPINIA zerumbet
Common Name
Millet, Pearl Millet
Shell Ginger
In Hindi
बाजरा
Shell Ginger
In German
Perlhirse
Shell Ginger
In French
Perle Millet
Shell Ginger
In Spanish
El mijo perla
Shell jengibre
In Greek
μαργαριτάρι Κεχρί
Shell Τζίντζερ
In Portuguese
milheto
Shell Ginger
In Polish
Pearl Millet
Shell Imbir
In Latin
Pearl milium
Crusta Ginger
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Lilopsida
Order
Cyperales
Zingiberales
Family
Poaceae
Zingiberaceae
Genus
Pennisetum
Alpinia
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
Paniceae
Alpinieae
Subfamily
Panicoideae
Alpinioideae
Number of Species
140150
1
27800
👆🏻