• Photo of Cenchrus alopecuroides (Cenchrus alopecuroidess)

Plant Profile: Cenchrus alopecuroides

Taxonomy: Cenchrus alopecuroides

Names

Chinese Fountaingrass, Chinese Fountain Grass, Chinese Pennisetum, Fountaingrass, Fountain Grass

  • Photo of Cenchrus alopecuroides (Cenchrus alopecuroidess)

Phonetic Spelling:SEN-krus al-oh-pek-yur-OH-ih-deez

Genus:Cenchrus

Species:alopecuroides

Family:Poaceae

Fountain Grass is a perennial herb that forms clumps and is often used for mass plantings, as a standout specimen, or along garden borders. Its leaves have a pronounced arch and turn a vibrant yellow in autumn. When planting, it is recommended to space the plants 3 to 4 feet apart. Unlike Pampas or Maiden Grass, Fountain Grass is less invasive and does not produce flowers in heavily shaded areas. This plant thrives in full sunlight and prefers moist, well-drained soil, although it can tolerate light shade. It is generally free from significant pest or disease issues and shows strong resistance to deer browsing, as well as a slight tolerance to salt.

**Quick Identification Tips:**

Cenchrus alopecuroides Feature Summary

Cenchrus alopecuroides Image Gallery

Tags

#deciduous
#weedy
#cut flowers
#salt tolerant
#apvg
#mass planting
#playground
#flower arrangements
#dried flowers
#cpp
#deer resistant
#children's garden
#borders
#bedding plants
#grass-like
#pollinator plant
#fantz
#fall color yellow
#bird friendly
#apvg-p

Similar Plants

Cenchrus alopecuroides is often confused with:

Cenchrus alopecuroides Feature Summary

Attributes
East Asia, Western Australia
Attracts birds
Perennial
Attracts Pollinators
Fruit
Seed is in the form of brown grain which break open after a hard freeze and naturalizes readily.
Caryopsis
Cream/Tan
Flowers
Inflorescence is a raceme of spikelets that are elongated cylindrical resembling a bottlebrush or fox tail. Spikelets yellow-green to reddish-brown, or silvery pink, and have 1-2 flowers. Bracts are awned with elongate bristle. Good in fresh or dry arrangements and shatters before winter.
Pink
Purple/Lavender
White
Green
Cream/Tan
Gray/Silver
Good Cut
Good Dried
Leaves
Leaves grow near the base of stems, are alternate, simple, sheathing, linear, scabrous, bright green, and up to 2' long and .25" wide. Amber yellow fall color.
Green
Gold/Yellow
Gold/Yellow
Cream/Tan
Simple
Sheath
Alternate
Rosulate
> 6 inches
< 1 inch
Whole Plant Traits
Ground Cover
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Erect
Mounding
Open
Clumping
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Good Drainage
Moist
5b
5a
6a
6b
7a
7b
8b
8a
9a
9b
Landscape
Cutting Garden
Children's Garden
Border
Mass Planting
Specimen
Deer
Salt
Poor Soil
Recreational Play Area
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Songbirds

Cenchrus alopecuroides Attributes

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Country Or Region Of Origin

East Asia, Western Australia

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Wildlife Value

Attracts birds

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems)

Deer browsing.

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Life Cycle

Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Play Value

Attractive Flowers
Attracts Pollinators
Buffer
Colorful
Defines Paths
Easy to Grow
Edible fruit
Fragrance
Pieces Used in Games
Screening
Shade
Sound
Textural
Wildlife Cover/Habitat
Wildlife Food Source
Wildlife Larval Host
Wildlife Nesting
Wind Break
Wind Shimmer

Cenchrus alopecuroides Fruit

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Fruit Description

Seed is in the form of brown grain which break open after a hard freeze and naturalizes readily.

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Fruit Type

Achene
Aggregate
Berry
Capsule
Caryopsis
Drupe
Follicle
Legume
Nut
Pome
Samara
Schizocarp
Siliqua

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Fruit Color

grass
Cream/Tan

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Display/Harvest Time

Fall
Spring
Summer
Winter

Cenchrus alopecuroides Flowers

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Flower Description

Inflorescence is a raceme of spikelets that are elongated cylindrical resembling a bottlebrush or fox tail. Spikelets yellow-green to reddish-brown, or silvery pink, and have 1-2 flowers. Bracts are awned with elongate bristle. Good in fresh or dry arrangements and shatters before winter.

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Flower Color

filter_vintage
Cream/Tan
filter_vintage
Gray/Silver
filter_vintage
Green
filter_vintage
Pink
filter_vintage
Purple/Lavender
filter_vintage
White

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Flower Inflorescence

Catkin
Corymb
Cyme
Head
Insignificant
Panicle
Raceme
Solitary
Spadix
Spike
Umbel

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Flower Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Flower Bloom Time

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Cenchrus alopecuroides Leaves

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Leaf Description

Leaves grow near the base of stems, are alternate, simple, sheathing, linear, scabrous, bright green, and up to 2' long and .25" wide. Amber yellow fall color.

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Leaf Color

spa
Gold/Yellow
spa
Green

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Deciduous Leaf Fall Color

spa
Cream/Tan
spa
Gold/Yellow

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Leaf Type

Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Leaf Arrangement

Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Leaf Shape

Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Hairs Present

No
Yes

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Leaf Length

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Leaf Width

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches

Cenchrus alopecuroides Whole Plant Traits

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Plant Type

Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Habit/Form

Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Growth Rate

Slow
Medium
Rapid

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Texture

Fine
Medium
Coarse

Cenchrus alopecuroides Cultural Conditions

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Light

Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Soil Drainage

Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Available Space To Plant

12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet

Cenchrus alopecuroides: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

thermostat
5a
thermostat
5b
thermostat
6a
thermostat
6b
thermostat
7a
thermostat
7b
thermostat
8a
thermostat
8b
thermostat
9a
thermostat
9b

Cenchrus alopecuroides Stem

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Stem Is Aromatic

No
Yes

Cenchrus alopecuroides Landscape

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Landscape Theme

Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Design Feature

Accent
Barrier
Border
Flowering Tree
Foundation Planting
Hedge
Mass Planting
Screen/Privacy
Security
Shade Tree
Small groups
Small Tree
Specimen
Street Tree
Understory Tree

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Resistance To Challenges

Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Landscape Location

Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Attracts

Bats
Bees
Butterflies
Frogs
Hummingbirds
Moths
Pollinators
Predatory Insects
Reptiles
Small Mammals
Songbirds
Specialized Bees

Cenchrus alopecuroides: Problems

Allelopathic
Contact Dermatitis
Frequent Disease Problems
Frequent Insect Problems
Invasive Species
Malodorous
Messy
Poisonous to Humans
Problem for Cats
Problem for Children
Problem for Dogs
Problem for Horses
Short-lived
Spines/Thorns
Weak Wood
Weedy