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Grass · Poaceae Draft — unreviewed

Fountain grass

Cenchrus setaceus (Forssk.) Morrone

Also called fountain grass, crimson fountain grass. Synonyms: Pennisetum setaceum.

Showy bunchgrass with pink-tan bottlebrush plumes. In Arizona it spreads from yards into desert washes and carries fire into saguaro communities.

Listed as invasive in AZ. The planner flags it (OL-INVASIVE) for sites in those jurisdictions. Details and sources.

Size over time

Typical landscape size 0.6–1.2 m (2–4 ft) tall and 0.6–0.9 m (2–3 ft) wide; fast growth, about 2 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.45) from the #1 install size.

00.511.52mPlanting0.3 × 0.3 mYear 30.8 × 0.6 mYear 100.9 × 0.7 mMature0.9 × 0.8 m

Design notes

  • Use native deer grass or bull grass instead; sterile purple fountain grass (Cenchrus 'Rubrum') is generally treated differently — check local rules.
  • Remove existing plants before seed ripens.

Regions

Native range: North and East Africa and the Middle East.

Not recorded as native to any of the three pilot regions.

Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.

Regulated: invasive in AZ (Invasive Non-Native Plants That Threaten Wildlands in Arizona (Arizona Wildlands Invasive Plant Working Group, 2005)). Check your state’s current list before planting.

Related plants

Hameln fountain grass
Cenchrus purpurascens 'Hameln' · Grass · 0.6–0.9 m (2–3 ft)
Blue grama
Bouteloua gracilis · Grass · 0.3–0.6 m (1–2 ft)
Karl Foerster feather reed grass
Calamagrostis × acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' · Grass · 1.2–1.8 m (4–6 ft)
Northern sea oats
Chasmanthium latifolium · Grass · 0.6–1.2 m (2–4 ft)
Golden Japanese forest grass
Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' · Grass · 0.3–0.5 m (1 ft)
Morning Light maiden grass
Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light' · Grass · 1.2–1.5 m (4–5 ft)

Plan with Fountain grass

Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.

Start designing Try a sample garden