Life Span
Perennial
Annual and Perennial
Type
Tree
Grass
Origin
Southeastern United States, Mexico, Caribbean, Central America
Africa
Types
Guaiacum officinale
Pennisetum glaucum
Number of Varieties
37
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Coastal Regions, Dry and Young forest Heaths, Thickets, Woodlands
Sunny Edge, Warmer regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-158-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-10
12 - 8
Sunset Zone
H1, H2
8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Oval or Rounded
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
300.00 cm90.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
370.00 cm30.50 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Purple, Violet, Blue Violet
Brown, Purple, Purplish-black
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Red
Brown, Cream
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Olive
Purple, Dark Green, Burgundy
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Olive
Purple, Dark Green, Burgundy
Leaf Color in Winter
Olive
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Egg-shaped
Long Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Slow
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Late Winter, Indeterminate
Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought, Salt
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires watering in the growing season
Requires regular watering
In Summer
Consistently
Lots of watering
In Spring
Average Water
Moderate
In Winter
Moderate
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune to stimulate growth
Prune in winter, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Fertilize three times a year
15-0-15, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
fungus, Mealybugs, Scale, Spider mites
Alternaria Leaf Spot, eyespot, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Salt
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
Glossy
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Butterflies
Aphids, Bees, Birds
Allergy
Skin irritation
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
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
-
-
Part of Plant Used
Bark, Sap
Branch, Flowering Tips, Whole plant
Other Uses
used for making roof trusses, poles, joists, piles, Used in construction, Used in Furniture
Beneficial species for attracting pollinators, repels deer
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Tropical
Bedding Plant, Container, Cutflower, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
GUAIACUM sanctum
PENNISETUM glaucum 'purple millet'
Common Name
Holy-wood, Lignum Vitae
Millet, Pearl Millet
In Hindi
Lignum Vitae
purple millet
In German
Lignum Vitae
purple millet
In French
Lignum Vitae
millet pourpre
In Spanish
Palo santo
purple millet
In Greek
Lignum Vitae
purple millet
In Portuguese
pau-santo
purple millet
In Polish
Lignum Vitae
purple millet
In Latin
lignum Vitae
purple millet
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Sapindales
Cyperales
Family
Zygophyllaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Guaiacum
Pennisetum
Clade
-
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
Paniceae
Subfamily
-
Panicoideae
Number of Species
31
1
27800
👆🏻