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Pennstripe™

Pennisetum alopecuriodes 'PAV300' PBR

First ever variegated ornamental grass

By Nathan Dutschke

Pennstripe is an Australian native Pennisetum and was a new release for 2009. It is a compact, clumping ornamental grass and it is the first ever ornamental variegated native grass.

Before I go into details about Pennstripe I would like to first touch on the genus Pennisetum as there is a lot of confusion within the horticultural industry as to whether or not it is an environmental weed.

There are 2 species of Pennisetum commonly grown in Australian nurseries one is Pennisetum alopecuroides which is the native Australian species and the other species Pennisetum setaceum which is the highly invasive African species. Unfortunately in the past nurseries have mistakenly grown and sold Pennisetum setaceum as the native species alopecuroides. This has given the native species a bad name and now people commonly confuse it with the highly invasive African species. Now whenever you say the name Pennisetum people automatically think of an invasive spreading weed. This however is not the case. The photo on the right shows you an easy way to identify between the non invasive native form on the left and the highly invasive African variety on the right.

Over recent years some new selections of the native Pennisetum have been bred and these are all grown from division to guarantee that you are receiving the non invasive Australian species. After 9 years these native selections such as Pennisetum Nafray have never caused any weed problems to native bushland. So far in trials conducted in nursery conditions Pennstripe has not produced any viable seed, so feel confident when using Pennstripe that you are using the right plant.

Getting back to Pennstripe it has beautiful variegated foliage with a distinct green midrib and a creamy/white edge on both sides of the leaf. From a distance the variegation is subtle and gives a creamy coloured foliage appearance.

Pennstripe is very useful for mass plantings and planting along edges and borders, so just don’t use one use many to great effect. Pennstripe has very good drought tolerance and will tolerate a wide range of soils and climatic conditions including poorly drained soils and frosts. Pennstripe will produce showy feathery flower plumes in autumn and will grow to approx 45cm tall x 45cm in width. Pennstripe will discolour in winter in cooler regions, so simply trim to 1/3 the size in late winter or early spring or when required to encourage fresh new growth.

For more information on Pennstripe or other non invasive Pennisetum cultivars please visit www.ozbreed.com.au