Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Epiphyte
Grass
Origin
Southeastern United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, Caribbean, Central America, South America
Europe, Asia
Types
-
Pennisetum alopecuroides
Number of Varieties
38
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Swamps
Grassland
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-134-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
-
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 23, 24
2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.50 cm30.50 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.60 cm30.50 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Burgundy, Dark Red, Light Green, Violet, Dark Salmon
White
Flower Color Modifier
Multi-Color
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Purple, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Purple, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Tan
Shape
Leaf Shape
Long Linear
Grass like
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Slow
Medium
Type of Soil
-
Loam
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Slightly Acidic
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall, Late Fall
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Wet Site, Salt
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Bulbs, By dividing rhizomes, tubers, Divison
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Ample Water
In Winter
Average Water
Moderate
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Slightly Acidic
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
-
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune to control growth
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Requires high amount of nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Wet Site
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
Coarse
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, pollinators
-
Allergy
-
Asthma, conjunctivitis, Rhinitis
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Bouquets, Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Food for animals, Food for insects, Wildlife
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Cancer, Eye Problems
-
Part of Plant Used
Bulbs, Flowers, Leaves
Whole plant
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
cultivated as pasture or hay crop, Food for animals, Food for insects
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Houseplant, Mixed Border
Bedding Plant, Feature Plant, Groundcover
Botanical Name
PROSTHECHEA cochleata
ALOPECURUS
Common Name
Clamshell Orchid, Cockleshell Orchid, Black Orchid
Foxtail Grass
In Hindi
Clamshell Orchid
Foxtail Grass
In German
Clamshell Orchid
Foxtail Grass
In French
Clamshell Orchid
Foxtail Grass
In Spanish
Clamshell Orchid
Hierba de cola de zorra
In Greek
Encyclia Cochleata
αλωπέκουρου Grass
In Portuguese
Clamshell Orchid
grama de foxtail
In Polish
Clamshell Orchid
ber trawy
In Latin
Clamshell Orchid
panicum Grass
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Orchidales
Cyperales
Family
Orchidaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Prosthechea
Alopecurus
Clade
Angiosperms, Monocots
-
Tribe
Epidendreae
-
Subfamily
Epidendroideae
-
Number of Species
5012
1
27800
👆🏻