Pennisetum purpureum Schum.

 
  • Family : POACEAE
    (Grass Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : GHAS FAMILY (घास फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Poaceae
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Pennisetum purpureum Schumach.
  • Common name : Elephant grass, Napier's Fodder
  • Habit : Herb
  • Habitat : Banks of streams and backwaters and also on hills
  • Comments / notes : Cultivated as fodder crop, also an escape.
  • Flower, Fruit : October-December
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Visakhapatnam (Visakhapatnam district)
    • Kerala : Kasaragod district, Kannur district, Kottayam district, Alappuzha district
    • Maharashtra : Chandrapur district, Pune district, Satara district
    • Uttarakhand : WLS
  • Native : Tropical Africa
  • World Distribution : Introduced in tropics
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1996- Flora of Orissa Vol. 4
    • H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam, 1989 - The Flora of Similipahar (Similipal), Orissa
    • B. D. Sharma, S. Karthikeyan & N. P. Singh 1996 - Flora of Maharashtra state - Monocotyledons
    • Matthew, K.M., The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (2). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI.
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Pennisetum purpureum
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Flora Online. http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Pennisetum purpureum. Downloaded on 19 February 2026.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Field Image(s)

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

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