| Pennisetum purpureum | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| (unranked): | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Tribe: | Paniceae |
| Genus: | Pennisetum |
| Species: | P. purpureum |
| Binomial name | |
| Pennisetum purpureum Schumach. 1827 |
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Pennisetum purpureum (Napier Grass or Uganda Grass) is a species of grass native to the tropical grasslands of Africa. It is a tall perennial plant, growing to 2–4.5 metres (6.6–14.8 ft) tall, rarely up to 7.5 metres (25 ft), with leaves 30–120 centimetres (12–47 in) long and 1–5 centimetres (0.39–2.0 in) broad.
The name Elephant grass derives from it being a favourite food of elephants.
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It has a very high productivity as a forage grass for livestock and wildlife.
It can be killed with a light layer of frost but is usually harvested before winter so it can be burnt in power plants. It has a very high productivity as a biofuel crop.
It has been proposed as a countermeasure to the corn borer in North America, since it attracts and traps the pest.[1] See Push-pull technology
It was planted in Kenya on artificial terraces helping to stop erosion, according to John Seymour.
ABC Science reports that "A team of Australian and Chinese scientists claims to have pioneered a method, using it as a Phytoremediation plant, to decontaminate polluted land and provide an ecologically renewable energy resource in the process." [2]
Data related to Pennisetum purpureum at Wikispecies