2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Pennisetum (lat. Pennisetum) - light-loving annual or perennial from the Cereals family. The second name is pinnate bristle.
Description
Pennisetum is a spectacular herb, endowed with fairly strong erect stems, the height of which can vary from fifteen to one hundred and thirty centimeters. And in some varieties, the height of the stems can sometimes reach eight meters! Numerous narrow leaves of this handsome man form dense tussocks. Usually their width is from one and a half to six millimeters, but in some cases it can reach eight to thirty millimeters.
Pennisetum inflorescences have the appearance of attractive spike-shaped panicles, which can be either ellipsoidal or cylindrical or one-sided. The length of these panicles almost always fits in the range from three to twenty-five centimeters, and they are all equipped with a hairy or rough awn. And bunches of spikelets of pennisetum are invariably interspersed with bristles. As for the color of its flowers, it is usually brownish-greenish, burgundy, pinkish or white. One adult plant is capable of forming up to hundreds of flower stems. As a rule, pennisetum blooms at the end of summer.
In total, the genus Pennisetum has about one hundred and fifty species, while some of them are found only in culture.
Where grows
In nature, this incredibly attractive plant is distributed mainly in Africa, in the subtropical and tropical zones. It is quite possible to meet pennisetum in Latin America, Australia, Asia, as well as Europe and North America.
Usage
In culture, foxtail pennisetum is most often grown. This handsome man is especially well suited for growing in ridges, steppe gardens, containers and rockeries. Pennisetum will look very cool when cut, in addition, it is also an excellent dried flower.
Also, African millet, which is very actively and successfully cultivated on the territory of tropical Africa, belongs to this genus - this extremely important food crop has been known to the African people since ancient times! African millet grains can be used both in the form of cereals and in the form of flour (of course, they will first need to be ground into flour). In addition, starch, alcohol and a drink somewhat reminiscent of beer are obtained from the grains of pennisetum. And from the Indian variety of pennisetum called Pennisetum hohenackeri, coarse fiber is obtained, which is widely used to make strong ropes.
The herb of many varieties of pennisetum, as well as its seeds, are excellent food for some birds and animals, in addition, larvae of flies or caterpillars of butterflies are not averse to eating them. In general, this plant is a rather valuable forage crop. And, unfortunately, many types of pennisetum are also commonly referred to as weeds.
Growing and caring
It is best to plant pennisetum in sunny areas, while the soil for its cultivation should be not only fertile and enriched with a wide variety of nutrients, but also sufficiently moist. In general, this plant is very unpretentious in care, even though it is warm, moisture and photophilous.
If the summer is hot and sunny, it is necessary to provide the pennisetum with regular watering. In addition, this plant needs annual feeding - complex fertilizers are usually used for these purposes. And the pennisetum is usually propagated by division, which is made every five to six years. It is quite permissible to propagate it by seeds, and this plant also has a tendency to self-seeding.
