Life Span
Perennial
Annual and Perennial
Type
Perennial
Grass
Origin
-
Africa
Types
-
Pennisetum glaucum
Number of Varieties
507
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cold Regions, Temperate Regions
Sunny Edge, Warmer regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-88-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
8-1
12 - 8
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17
8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Cushion/Mound-forming
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
20.30 cm90.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
27.90 cm30.50 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Blue, Lavender
Brown, Purple, Purplish-black
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Brown, Cream
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Purple
Purple, Dark Green, Burgundy
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Purple
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Purple
Purple, Dark Green, Burgundy
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Linear
Long Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
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
Early Spring, Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer
Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Keep ground moist, 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
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune in winter, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, as it is a flowering plant, use high phosphorous content fertilizer
15-0-15, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Alternaria Leaf Spot, eyespot, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Deer resistant, 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
Fine
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Aphids, Bees, Birds
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Showy Purposes
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
Black Dyes
-
Part of Plant Used
-
Branch, Flowering Tips, Whole plant
Other Uses
-
Beneficial species for attracting pollinators, repels deer
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Bedding Plant, Container, Cutflower, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
Polemonium caeruleum
PENNISETUM glaucum 'purple millet'
Common Name
Jacob's Ladder
Millet, Pearl Millet
In Hindi
Jacob's Ladder
purple millet
In German
Jacob's Ladder
purple millet
In French
Jacob's Ladder
millet pourpre
In Spanish
Jacob's Ladder
purple millet
In Greek
Jacob's Ladder
purple millet
In Portuguese
Jacob's Ladder
purple millet
In Polish
Jacob's Ladder
purple millet
In Latin
Jacob's Ladder
purple millet
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Ericales
Cyperales
Family
Polemoniaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Polemonium
Pennisetum
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
Paniceae
Subfamily
-
Panicoideae
Number of Species
401
1
27800
👆🏻