Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Annual and Perennial
Type
Broadleaf Evergreen
Grass
Origin
Africa, Southern Africa
Africa
Types
Drakensberg sugarbush, Clanwilliam sugarbush, The Wagon tree
Pennisetum glaucum
Number of Varieties
16007
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Subtropical climates, Tropical regions
Sunny Edge, Warmer regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-118-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-8
12 - 8
Sunset Zone
H1, 22, 23, 24
8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
-
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
91.44 cm90.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
91.44 cm30.50 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
Brown, Purple, Purplish-black
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Brown, Cream
Leaf Color in Spring
-
Purple, Dark Green, Burgundy
Leaf Color in Summer
-
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
-
Purple, Dark Green, Burgundy
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Egg-shaped
Long Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Fall, Spring
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
-
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Clay
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
-
Well drained
Bloom Time
All year
Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires a lot of watering
Requires regular watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Pinch Tips, Remove branches, 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
15-0-15, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Alternaria Leaf Spot, eyespot, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
-
Deer resistant, Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
-
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
-
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
-
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
-
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Flying insects, Insects
Aphids, Bees, Birds
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
along a porch, deck or patio, Beautification, Informal Hedge, Mixed Border, Showy Purposes, Wild gardens
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
Insignificant
-
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Cough, Diarrhea, Stomach Ulcers
-
Part of Plant Used
Flowers
Branch, Flowering Tips, Whole plant
Other Uses
Used for its medicinal properties
Beneficial species for attracting pollinators, repels deer
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Cutflower, Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall
Bedding Plant, Container, Cutflower, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
PROTEA
PENNISETUM glaucum 'purple millet'
Common Name
Protea, Waboom, Wagon Tree
Millet, Pearl Millet
In Hindi
Protea plant
purple millet
In German
Protea Pflanze
purple millet
In French
usine de Protea
millet pourpre
In Spanish
planta de protea
purple millet
In Greek
φυτό Protea
purple millet
In Portuguese
planta Protea
purple millet
In Polish
Protea roślin
purple millet
In Latin
Protea herba
purple millet
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Vascular plant
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Proteales
Cyperales
Family
Proteaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Protea
Pennisetum
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
Proteae
Paniceae
Subfamily
Proteoideae
Panicoideae
Number of Species
16001
1
27800
👆🏻