Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Annual and Perennial
Type
Perennial
Grass
Origin
Europe, Northern Europe, Western Europe, United Kingdom
Africa
Types
M. v. brevipetala
M. v. collina
M. v. frozen
M. v. grandiflora
M. v. paui
M. v. verna
M. v. japonica
Pennisetum glaucum
Number of Varieties
77
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens, Grassland, Prairies, Suburban areas, Tropical regions
Sunny Edge, Warmer regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-78-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
8-1
12 - 8
Sunset Zone
4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Mat-forming
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
7.60 cm90.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.30 cm30.50 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White
Brown, Purple, Purplish-black
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Brown, Cream
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Purple, Dark Green, Burgundy
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Purple, Dark Green, Burgundy
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Tiny
Long Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer
Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Never Over-water, Requires watering in the growing season, Water more in summer
Requires regular watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Pruning
Remove dead leaves, Remove deadheads, Requires very little pruning
Prune in winter, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
15-0-15, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Fungal Diseases
Alternaria Leaf Spot, eyespot, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Deer resistant, Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
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
Fine
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Aphids, Bees, Birds
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification
along a porch, deck or patio, Beautification, Informal Hedge, Mixed Border, Showy Purposes, Wild gardens
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Burns, Thyroid problems, tuberculosis
-
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves
Branch, Flowering Tips, Whole plant
Other Uses
Culinary use, Used As Food
Beneficial species for attracting pollinators, repels deer
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Alpine, Container, Edging, Groundcover, Lawns and Turf, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall
Bedding Plant, Container, Cutflower, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
MINUARTIA verna
PENNISETUM glaucum 'purple millet'
Common Name
Irish Moss
Millet, Pearl Millet
In Hindi
आयरिश काई
purple millet
In German
Irish Moss
purple millet
In French
Irish Moss
millet pourpre
In Spanish
musgo de irlanda
purple millet
In Greek
Irish Moss
purple millet
In Portuguese
Moss irlandês
purple millet
In Polish
mech irlandzki
purple millet
In Latin
Irish Moss
purple millet
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Liliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Cyperales
Family
Caryophyllaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Minuartia
Pennisetum
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
Paniceae
Subfamily
-
Panicoideae
Number of Species
501
1
27800
👆🏻