Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Grass
Tree
Origin
Mediterranean, Northern Africa
Eastern Africa, Middle Africa
Types
Erianthus ravennae, Saccharum ravennae
Kigelia africana
Number of Varieties
1909
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
marshes, Riverbanks
Riverine forest, wooded grassland
USDA Hardiness Zone
6-99-12
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9 - 6
12-9
Sunset Zone
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Upright/Erect
Arching/Fountain-shaped
Plant Size
Minimum Height
240.00 cm1,220.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
120.00 cm910.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Purple, Silver
Dark Red, Tan
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Purple
Tan
Leaf Color in Spring
White, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Tan
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Tan
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Grass like
Pinnate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Late Summer, Fall
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Salt
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Vegetative
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Water once every two or three weeks
Needs a lot of water initially
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Cut back all stems to the same height
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
0-10-10 NPK fertilizer
Balanced liquid fertilizer monthly
Pests and Diseases
Drought, Edema
Leaf spot, Mealybugs, Rust
Plant Tolerance
Drought
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
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds
Bees, Birds, Butterflies
Allergy
Noxious Weed
Poisonous when unripe
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Borders, Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Acne, Slow downs aging
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Erosion control
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Gynaecological, Malaria, STDs
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Dried seeds, Leaves
Other Uses
Cultivated for fodder
Used to flavour beer, Used to produce a red dye
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Cutflower, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Feature Plant, Mixed Border
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Tropical
Botanical Name
SACCHARUM ravennae
KIGELIA africana
Common Name
Hardy Pampas Grass, Plume Grass, Ravennagrass
Sausage Tree
In Hindi
Plume Grass
Sausage Tree
In German
Plume Gras
Sausage Tree
In French
Plume Herbe
saucisse Arbre
In Spanish
Penacho de hierba
Árbol de salchicha
In Greek
Plume Grass
λουκάνικο δέντρο
In Portuguese
Plume grama
Árvore de salsicha
In Polish
Pióropusz Trawa
kiełbasa Drzewo
In Latin
Kessinger Grass
farciminis ligno
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Lilopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cyperales
Lamiales
Family
Poaceae
Bignoniaceae
Genus
Saccharum
Kaempferia
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
Andropogoneae
Tecomeae
Subfamily
Panicoideae
-
Number of Species
4009
1
27800
👆🏻