Pennisetum clandestinum Seeds | Kikuyu Grass
LATIN NAME: Pennisetum clandestinum
COMMON NAME: Kikuyu Grass, Kikuyu
Plant Profile
Pennisetum clandestinum, better known as Kikuyu Grass, is a low, creeping, perennial in the grass family (Poaceae), native to highland regions of the east Africa, while it has been introduced widely as a turf and a pasture grass. Through the flowering season it keeps visiting bees well supplied. Add these qualities together and you have a species well worth a place in the garden.
Science & Biotechnology
Seed science, comparative botany and horticultural selection all touch on Pennisetum clandestinum, a representative of the grass family with clear practical value. Kikuyu grass has a real and distinguished place in research. For researchers, plants like this one offer practical material for propagation studies and selection work.
Uses & Benefits
Beyond its ornamental appeal, Kikuyu Grass has the practical versatility that makes a plant worth growing from seed year after year. Kikuyu grass is a low, creeping, perennial grass of warm regions, bearing short, narrow, bright-green leaves and forming a dense, thick mat across the ground. To raise kikuyu grass, sow seeds on surface of pots of moist, open soil in a sunny, warm place, keep them gently watered, and grow little grasses on in the sun. Once it has settled, the workload drops to almost nothing.
Fountain grasses are graceful ornamentals, while their relative pearl millet is a drought-proof staple grain feeding millions in Africa and India.
Growing from Seed
Starting Kikuyu Grass from seed is simple and satisfying. Surface-sow onto a light, well-drained compost, dust over a thin covering, and keep evenly moist and sunny until the seedlings show. Transplant the sturdiest seedlings to their permanent spots and let them develop without disturbance.
Our Take
Among the Pennisetum group, it is one of the more distinctive species in cultivation. Within its genus it stands out for garden reliability. Fresh seed sown into evenly moist compost is most of the battle won.
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