Chinese fountain grass, Fountain grass, Swamp foxtail
Pennisetum alopecuroides

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

An evergreen grass. It grows 60-120 cm high and wide. It forms a clump or mound. The leaves are narrow and arching. They are 0.6-1 m long and 0.6 cm wide. They are dark green. They are hairy along the edges. The flower heads are fuzzy and purple. They are 7-20 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. They weigh down the stem tips. The flower stems are 1 m long.

There are about 100 Pennisetum species. It is used for forage.

Where it is found

It grows in temperate regions but can also grow in the tropics and subtropics. It needs well drained soil. It can grow in full sun or light shade. It can tolerate light frosts. In China it grows from sea level to 3200 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 5-9. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Canada, China, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, North America, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, Taiwan, Tibet

How it is used for food

The grains are eaten.

They are a famine food.

Edible parts

Seeds, cereal

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seed or by division of the clump.

Its other names

Local names

Lang wei cao

Synonyms

Panicum alopecuroides Linnaeus; Cenchrus purpurascens Thunberg; Gymnothrix japonica var. viridescens Miquel; Pennisetum alopecuroides var. erythrochaetum J. Ohwi; Pennisetum chinense Steudel; Pennisetum compressum R. Brown; Pennisetum dispiculatum Chia; Pennisetum japonicum Trinius; Pennisetum purpurascens (Thunberg) Kuntze 1891, not Kunth., 1816.;