Cenchrus divisus (Pennisetum divisum)Desert Fountain Grass

The Cenchrus divisus, commonly known as the Desert Fountain Grass and specified throughout Gulf documents as Pennisetum divisum, is a rhizomatous perennial grass of the sand deserts of Arabia and north Africa. It forms an open, arching clump of fine blue-green leaves topped with soft, bristly, cream to purple-tinged flower spikes.

It is the native desert counterpart to the ornamental fountain grasses, with the same soft texture but genuine dune-country hardiness and a rhizome system that binds sand. It is used for native ornamental grass planting, dune stabilisation and low-water verge planting.

Specifications

• Height0.4 to 0.9 metres including flower spikes
• Width0.5 to 1 metre per clump, spreading slowly by rhizome
• Native toThe sand deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, the Sahara and Iran
• FoliageFine, narrow, blue-green leaves in an open arching clump; evergreen where moisture allows
• Growth rateModerate

Conditions

• SoilRequires deep sandy or gravelly soils with free drainage; tolerates poor and mildly saline ground
• LightFull sun
• WaterVery low; strongly drought-tolerant and adapted to survive on desert rainfall
• ClimateThrives in hot arid and semi-arid regions with very low rainfall

Additional Features

• FormOpen arching clump with soft bristly flower spikes held just above the foliage
• UsesNative ornamental grass planting, dune and verge stabilisation, low-water median and roundabout beds, desert restoration
• SpacingPlant 0.6 to 0.8 metres apart for a continuous drift
• Low MaintenanceCut back old growth every second year; no irrigation or feeding required once established
• Pest ResistanceFree of significant pest and disease problems
• Drought ToleranceVery high, going summer-dormant in extreme conditions and recovering after rain
• Erosion ControlThe rhizome system binds loose sand and is used to stabilise dune faces
• Seasonal AppealThe bristly cream to purple-tinged spikes catch low light and give movement through the season

The Desert Fountain Grass gives the soft texture of an ornamental grass without the water bill or the weed risk.