Taxon: Cenchrus purpurascens Thunb.

Summary

Genus:

Cenchrus

Family:

Poaceae (alt. Gramineae)

Subfamily:

Panicoideae

Tribe:

Paniceae

Subtribe:

Cenchrinae

Nomen number:

9805

Place of publication:

Trans. Linn. Soc. London 2:329. 1794

Verified:

03/13/2012 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

22 (12 active, 4 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Alopecurus hordeiformis L.
Cenchrus compressus (R. Br.) Morrone
Panicum alopecuroides L.
Pennisetum alopecuroides (L.) Spreng.
Pennisetum compressum R. Br.
Pennisetum hordeiforme (Thunb.) Spreng.
Pennisetum japonicum Trin. ex Spreng.

No images

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
Chemisquy, M. A. et al. 2010. Phylogenetic studies favour the unification of Pennisetum, Cenchrus and Odontelytrum (Poaceae): a combined nuclear, plastid and morphological analysis, and nomenclatural combinations in Cenchrus. Ann. Bot. (Oxford) 106:107-130. Note: = Pennisetum alopecuroides
Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria. Australian plant census (APC) (on-line resource).
Raab-Straube E. von & Raus T., eds. 2015. Euro+Med-Checklist Notulae, 5 [Notulae ad floram euro-mediterraneam pertinentes no. 34]. Willdenowia 45:459-460.
Simon, B. K. 2010. New taxa, nomenclatural changes and notes on Australian grasses in the tribe Paniceae (Poaceae: Panicoideae). Austrobaileya 8:191.
Veldkamp, J. F. 2014. A revision of Cenchrus incl. Pennisetum (Gramineae) in Malesia with some general nomenclatural notes. Blumea 59:59-75.
Verloove, F. 2012. New combinations in Cenchrus (Paniceae, Poaceae) in Europe and the Mediterranean area. Willdenowia 42:77-78.
2018. Mid-Atlantic invasive plant species (on-line resource)

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	Chinese fountain grass	1	Erhardt, W. et al. 2000. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 16. Auflage
English	foxtail fountain grass	1	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
English	swamp foxtail grass	1	CIBA-GEIGY, Basel, Switzerland. Documenta CIBA-GEIGY (Grass weeds 1. 1980, 2. 1981; Monocot weeds 3. 1982; Dicot weeds 1. 1988) Note: four books on weeds worldwide in scope
English	swamp-foxtail	1	Harden, G. J., ed. 1990-1993. Flora of New South Wales.
French	pennisétum	2	Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen
German	japanisches Federborstengras	2	Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen
Swedish	lampborstgräs	2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Transcribed Chinese	lang wei cao	2	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Reference
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Anhui Sheng	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Fujian Sheng	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Guangdong Sheng	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Guizhou Sheng	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Hainan Sheng	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Hebei Sheng	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Heilongjiang Sheng	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Henan Sheng	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Hubei Sheng	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Jiangsu Sheng	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Jiangxi Sheng	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Shaanxi Sheng	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Shandong Sheng	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Sichuan Sheng	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Xizang Zizhiqu	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Yunnan Sheng	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Zhejiang Sheng	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Japan		Koyama, T. 1987. Grasses of Japan and its neighboring regions
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Korea		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Taiwan		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Assam	Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indo-China	Myanmar		Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Indonesia		Lazarides, M. 1980. The tropical grasses of Southeast Asia
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Malaysia		Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Philippines		Lazarides, M. 1980. The tropical grasses of Southeast Asia
1	Native	Australasia	Australia	Australia	New South Wales	George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia.
1	Native	Australasia	Australia	Australia	Queensland	George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia.
1	Native	Australasia	Australia	Australia	Tasmania	George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia.
1	Native	Australasia	Australia	Australia	Victoria	George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia.
2	Cultivated	Asia-Temperate	China	China		Huang, D. et al. 2010. Grass hedges for the protection of sloping lands from runoff and soil loss: An example from Northern China. Soil Tillage Res. 110:251-256.
2	Cultivated	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Illinois	Meyer, M. H. 2012. Chapter 3. Ornamental grasses in the United States. Hort. Rev. 39:121-152.
2	Cultivated	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	New York	Meyer, M. H. 2012. Chapter 3. Ornamental grasses in the United States. Hort. Rev. 39:121-152.
2	Cultivated	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Pennsylvania	Meyer, M. H. 2012. Chapter 3. Ornamental grasses in the United States. Hort. Rev. 39:121-152.
2	Cultivated	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Arkansas	Meyer, M. H. 2012. Chapter 3. Ornamental grasses in the United States. Hort. Rev. 39:121-152.
2	Cultivated	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Florida	Wilson, S. B. & G. W. Knox. 2009. Landscape performance of green fountain grass alternatives grown in northern and southern Florida. HortTechnol. 19:471-476.
3	Adventive	Europe	Middle Europe	Czech Republic		Raab-Straube E. von & Raus T., eds. 2015. Euro+Med-Checklist Notulae, 5 [Notulae ad floram euro-mediterraneam pertinentes no. 34]. Willdenowia 45:459-460.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Temperate	Caucasus	Armenia		Raab-Straube E. von & Raus T., eds. 2015. Euro+Med-Checklist Notulae, 5 [Notulae ad floram euro-mediterraneam pertinentes no. 34]. Willdenowia 45:459-460.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Temperate	Caucasus	Azerbaijan		Verloove, F. 2012. New combinations in Cenchrus (Paniceae, Poaceae) in Europe and the Mediterranean area. Willdenowia 42:77-78.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Temperate	Caucasus	Georgia		Verloove, F. 2012. New combinations in Cenchrus (Paniceae, Poaceae) in Europe and the Mediterranean area. Willdenowia 42:77-78.
4	Naturalized	Australasia	New Zealand	New Zealand		Allan, H. H. B. et al. 1961-. Flora of New Zealand.

Native
Asia-Temperate

CHINA: China [Anhui Sheng, Fujian Sheng, Guangdong Sheng, Guizhou Sheng, Hainan Sheng, Hebei Sheng, Heilongjiang Sheng, Henan Sheng, Hubei Sheng, Jiangsu Sheng, Jiangxi Sheng, Shaanxi Sheng, Shandong Sheng, Sichuan Sheng, Xizang Zizhiqu, Yunnan Sheng, Zhejiang Sheng]
EASTERN ASIA: Korea, Japan, Taiwan

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India [Assam]
INDO-CHINA: Myanmar
MALESIA: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines

Australasia

AUSTRALIA: Australia [Tasmania, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria]

Cultivated
Asia-Temperate

CHINA: China

Northern America

NORTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [New York, Pennsylvania]
NORTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Illinois]
SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Arkansas, Florida]

Adventive
Europe

MIDDLE EUROPE: Czech Republic

Naturalized
Asia-Temperate

CAUCASUS: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia

Australasia

NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand

Reference(s)

Allan, H. H. B. et al. 1961-. Flora of New Zealand.
George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia.
Huang, D. et al. 2010. Grass hedges for the protection of sloping lands from runoff and soil loss: An example from Northern China. Soil Tillage Res. 110:251-256.
Koyama, T. 1987. Grasses of Japan and its neighboring regions
Lazarides, M. 1980. The tropical grasses of Southeast Asia
Meyer, M. H. 2012. Chapter 3. Ornamental grasses in the United States. Hort. Rev. 39:121-152.
Raab-Straube E. von & Raus T., eds. 2015. Euro+Med-Checklist Notulae, 5 [Notulae ad floram euro-mediterraneam pertinentes no. 34]. Willdenowia 45:459-460.
Shukla, U. 1996. Grasses of north-eastern India
Verloove, F. 2012. New combinations in Cenchrus (Paniceae, Poaceae) in Europe and the Mediterranean area. Willdenowia 42:77-78.
Wilson, S. B. & G. W. Knox. 2009. Landscape performance of green fountain grass alternatives grown in northern and southern Florida. HortTechnol. 19:471-476.
Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Reference
Animal food	forage	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Environmental	ornamental	Walters, S. M. et al., eds. 1986-2000. European garden flora.
Environmental	ornamental	Encke, F. et al. 1993. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 14. Auflage
Environmental	ornamental	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
Weed		CIBA-GEIGY, Basel, Switzerland. Documenta CIBA-GEIGY (Grass weeds 1. 1980, 2. 1981; Monocot weeds 3. 1982; Dicot weeds 1. 1988) Note: four books on weeds worldwide in scope

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=9805. Accessed 15 April 2026.