Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Arid scrubland
Range: Africa and Asia
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Spines
Status: Common

About

Fountain grass, a native to East Africa, tropical Africa, the Middle East, and south-western Asia, is a C4 perennial bunch grass that grows up to 3 feet tall and has many purple, plumose flower spikes. It has been introduced to many parts of the world as an ornamental plant, and has become an invasive species in some of them.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Cenchrus
Species: Cenchrus setaceus