Life Span
Perennial
Annual and Perennial
Type
Grass
Grass
Origin
Southeastern Asia, Melanesia, Micronesia
Africa
Types
Saccharum officinarum
Pennisetum glaucum
Number of Varieties
367
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
agricultural areas, Wet lands
Sunny Edge, Warmer regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-158-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12 - 9
12 - 8
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 8, 9, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.00 cm90.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm30.50 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White hair and some brown spots on margins and at tips
Brown, Purple, Purplish-black
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Brown, Cream
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Purple, Dark Green, Burgundy
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Purple, Dark Green, Burgundy
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Acicular
Long Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
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 Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall
Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Wet Site, Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
High
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Water Deeply
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
Full Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune ocassionally, Remove dead branches, Remove Ferns
Prune in winter, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Equal amount of N,P,K, fertilize in growing season
15-0-15, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Beetles, Fusarium root rot, Head smut
Alternaria Leaf Spot, eyespot, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Heat Tolerance, Shade areas
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
Coarse
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies, Rats, Squirrels
Aphids, Bees, Birds
Allergy
Diabetes, Sleepiness
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
along a porch, deck or patio, Beautification, Informal Hedge, Mixed Border, Showy Purposes, Wild gardens
Beauty Benefits
Maintains teeth healthy, Making cosmetics
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Aging, Antidepressant, Aphrodisiac, Appetite enhancer, Diuretic, Fatigue, Muscle Pain, Nutrients
-
Part of Plant Used
Leaf Stalks, Leaves, Stem
Branch, Flowering Tips, Whole plant
Other Uses
Animal Feed, Biomass for fuel, Can be made into a herbal tea, Food for animals, Sometimes used for making wine
Beneficial species for attracting pollinators, repels deer
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Edible, Feature Plant, Tropical
Bedding Plant, Container, Cutflower, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
SACCHARUM officinarum
PENNISETUM glaucum 'purple millet'
Common Name
Sugarcane
Millet, Pearl Millet
In Hindi
गन्ना
purple millet
In German
Saccharum
purple millet
In French
Canne à sucre
millet pourpre
In Spanish
Saccharum
purple millet
In Greek
Saccharum
purple millet
In Portuguese
Cana-de-açúcar
purple millet
In Polish
Saccharum
purple millet
In Latin
Saccharum
purple millet
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Cyperales
Cyperales
Family
Poaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Saccharum
Pennisetum
Clade
Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
Andropogoneae
Paniceae
Subfamily
Panicoideae
Panicoideae
Number of Species
361
1
27800
👆🏻