Elephant Grass
Cenchrus purpureus
- Native to:
- Aldabra, Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Gulf of Guinea Is., Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Oman, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
John Robert McPherson,FEUGANG KUETCHE,Forest & Kim Starr (www.hear.org),Yercaud-elango,Yercaud-elango,Yercaud-elango,Photo by David Stang,FEUGANG KUETCHE,Forest and Kim Starr (www.flickr.com),Forest and Kim Starr (www.flickr.com),Forest and Kim Starr (www.flickr.com),FEUGANG KUETCHE
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Poaceae
- Genus:
- Cenchrus
- Species:
- Cenchrus purpureus
- USDA Symbol:
- PEPU2
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Graminoid
- Height:
- 450 cm
- Drought Tolerance:
- Medium
- Bloom Months:
- jul,aug,sep,oct
- Bloom Colors:
- purple, brown
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- birds
- Salt Tolerant:
- Yes
- Fire Ecology:
- Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
- Fire Notes:
- Resprouts vigorously from the crown and root system after fire or cutting; commonly managed with periodic burning in tropical forage systems.
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- None required
- Germination Time:
- 7–21 days
- Notes:
- Seeds germinate readily in warm conditions; typically propagated vegetatively from stem cuttings or divisions.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI