flaccidgrass
Pennisetum flaccidum · Poaceae
flaccidgrass (Pennisetum flaccidum) is a grass or grass-like plant in the Poaceae family. USDA records it as hardy in zone 7 and warmer, down to about 2°F.
At a glance
| Type | graminoid USDA |
|---|---|
| Mature height | 4.5 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Water need | medium USDA |
| Growth rate | rapid USDA |
| Soil pH | 5.5–7 USDA |
| Bloom | July USDA |
| Flower color | Yellow USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 7 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | herb-layer Derived |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It needs full sun. USDA rates it as having moderate water needs. Its drought tolerance is rated medium. It will not tolerate waterlogged soil — USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance as none. It is recorded on soils from pH 5.5 to 7 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 7.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 4.5 ft, making it roughly waist to chest height. It grows quickly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of July. Flowers are yellow.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, fine in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. Its fruit or seed heads are conspicuous, extending interest past flowering. Its active growth period is summer and fall. USDA rates its lifespan as moderate.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 32 to 50 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 200 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 16 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
Propagate it from seed and sprigs. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period. Its seed spreads at a slow rate. It spreads vegetatively at a moderate rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals find it moderately palatable, so expect deer and rabbits to take an interest. Its fire tolerance is rated high. Its growth form is recorded as rhizomatous.
Role in a guild
Herb layer. In a layered planting this is the herbaceous middle — perennials and grasses that fill the space between ground cover and shrubs. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Pennisetum
- Chinese fountaingrass Pennisetum alopecuroides
- buffelgrass Pennisetum ciliare
- pearl millet Pennisetum glaucum
- elephant grass Pennisetum purpureum
Similar role and hardiness
- American beachgrass Ammophila breviligulata
- cane bluestem Bothriochloa barbinodis
- California brome Bromus carinatus
- spring spiderlily Hymenocallis liriosme
- blue panicum Panicum antidotale
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol PEFL18, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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