Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Perennial
Type
Grass
Grass
Origin
Africa
Europe, Asia
Types
Pennisetum glaucum
-
Number of Varieties
770
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Sunny Edge, Warmer regions
Grassland
USDA Hardiness Zone
8-115-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12 - 8
8 - 5
Sunset Zone
8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Upright/Erect
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
90.00 cm61.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.50 cm40.60 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Brown, Purple, Purplish-black
White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown, Cream
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Purple, Dark Green, Burgundy
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Dark Green, Burgundy
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Tan
Shape
Leaf Shape
Long Linear
Grass like
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Spring, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Wet Site
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires regular watering
Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Ample Water
In Winter
Average Water
Moderate
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune in winter, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune to control growth
Fertilizers
15-0-15, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Requires high amount of nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Alternaria Leaf Spot, eyespot, Red blotch
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Deer resistant, Drought
Wet Site
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
Coarse
Medium
Foliage Sheen
-
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
Sometimes
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Aphids, Bees, Birds
-
Allergy
-
Asthma, conjunctivitis, Rhinitis
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
along a porch, deck or patio, Beautification, Informal Hedge, Mixed Border, Showy Purposes, Wild gardens
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Food for animals, Food for insects, Wildlife
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
-
Part of Plant Used
Branch, Flowering Tips, Whole plant
Whole plant
Other Uses
Beneficial species for attracting pollinators, repels deer
cultivated as pasture or hay crop, Food for animals, Food for insects
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Container, Cutflower, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Mixed Border
Feature Plant, Groundcover, Rock Garden / Wall
Botanical Name
PENNISETUM glaucum 'purple millet'
ALOPECURUS pratensis
Common Name
Millet, Pearl Millet
Meadow Foxtail
In Hindi
purple millet
Meadow Foxtail
In German
purple millet
Wiesenfuchsschwanz
In French
millet pourpre
vulpin des prés
In Spanish
purple millet
pradera de cola de zorra
In Greek
purple millet
Meadow Foxtail
In Portuguese
purple millet
Meadow Foxtail
In Polish
purple millet
łąka ber
In Latin
purple millet
meadow Foxtail
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Cyperales
Cyperales
Family
Poaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Pennisetum
Alopecurus
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
Paniceae
-
Subfamily
Panicoideae
-
Number of Species
13
1
27800
👆🏻