Cenchrus (Pennisetum) varieties are a mainstay of the ornamental grass industry. Even in areas here in Florida where the community tries to stick to native ornamental grasses like Eragrostis spp, Trypsacum spp, and Muhlenbergia spp, I have seen Cenchrus spp used liberally in order to add season-long color.
Recently, I came upon a parking lot that had a couple of varieties of what I took to be Cenchrus setaceus (Pennisetum setaceum) in full flower, and the view was absolutely magnificent, with row upon row of the ornamentals standing between the parked cars like colorful sentinels.
A closer look at each inflorescence revealed that it was composed of many many spikelets surrounded by bristles. In the midst of the bristles were the orangey stigmas, waiting for pollen to land on their upper surfaces.
The spikelets occurred in clusters, with most of the bristles around the same length. But in C. setaceus, a much longer primary bristle emerges from near the center to tower over the rest. This can be seen in the macro image below, which also shows a dried up style/stigma.
I’m thinking the multitudes of people going around the parking lot to and from their parked cars might have noticed the beautiful waving inflorescence, but how many of them realize that the beauty of these extend all the way to the minute parts when magnified? Unlike many other flowering plants, it takes a certain kind of persistence to discover and appreciate the astounding beauty of the members of the Poaceae.
Leave a Reply