Pennisetum is considered the important food crop for the poor rural semiarid tropics. Additionally, the leaves of these plants are available in the shapes of wide, rolled and narrow. The flowers are normally borne in branches spikes or sometimes in dense feathery. The Interesting thing about these plants is that you can use these as food as they are edible and their seeds are used to make flour. In addition to this, these are nontoxic plants so you can feel at ease when putting these in your garden. The flowers are so bloomy and beautiful that helps to enhance the beauty of your garden.
Common Names:
The common name of these plants is Chinese fountain grass, Swamp foxtail grass, Chinese fountain grass and fountain grass.
Scientific Name: Scientifically, it is known as Pennisetum purpureum
Family: It belongs to the family of Poaceae.
Genus: Its genus is Pennisetum.
Species: The species of this plant is called p. typhoideum.
Hardiness Zone: The hardiness zone of Pennisetum is 5_9.
Height: It can grow up to 4m high.
Origin: Pennisetum was first discovered in Africa.
Regions where Pennisetum is naturalized:
These plants are naturalized in Australia, Latin America and Asia.
Soil Required: Pennisetum needs the type of soil that is moist and well_draimed. Furthermore, it can tolerate dry soil but not for a long time. As with so many other plants continuously wet and soggy soil may be harmful. So, for this purpose, you must pick the soil that is well_draimed.
Sunlight Needs: The Pennisetum needs full sunlight as it can tolerate heat, clay, seasonal flooding and salinity. Moreover, you should avoid excessive water, fertilizer and shade because they can destroy the stems of the plant.
Watering: During the first year of its growth, it requires once a week watering. After that, it can survive with little water as is mentioned above it can tolerate dry soil and too much-wet soil can be harmful to its growth.
Fertilizer: As you know that to make these plants healthier it is important to provide it suitable fertilizer. For this reason, you must provide its slow release and balance fertilizer osmocote 14_14_14 for its better growth.
Harvesting: Pennisetum starts to flower from the end of the spring to the beginning of winter. When you notice the hairs of the flowers turns brown then it means these plants are ready to harvest.
Pruning: To maintain the shape of the plant it is necessary to prune it occasionally. So, to prune Pennisetum use the tools like hedge clippers and shears and get the best shape.
Medical uses:
Some of the important medical uses related to Pennisetum are given below so let’s have a look:
- Pennisetum is very beneficial as it can use to release wound pain like parasitic infections and pains.
- Besides that, it shows beneficial effects on the immune system and antioxidant ability in the gestating sow.
- It is helpful to cure inflammation.
- Diarrhea can also be cured by the use of Pennisetum.
- Instead of that, these can be used to treat HIV patients.
Conclusion: Pennisetum is a beautiful and easy growing plant. Additionally, it needs little water and less care which is the best benefit about it. It is used in several areas to get medical uses. These are the safest plants and have no harmful effects so you do have not to worry about your pets. Significantly, flour can be made by the seeds of Pennisetum. Besides that, cutting deadheads help to maintain the growth of this plant. If you want to grow these plants at home then it is so easy and you face no difficulty and can enjoy the beauty of this plant.