Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum'

red fountain grass

This particular species doesn’t currently have any notable ethnobotanic uses besides aesthetics, but there are a couple notable related species within the genus Pennisetum worth mentioning here.

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) is an ancient food and animal feed crop. It is the most widely cultivated type of millet, grown today as a food crop in Africa and India, but used mostly for animal feed in the United States. The plant is well-adapted to areas with drought, high temperatures, low soil fertility, acidic soils, and soils with high salinity. Because of these tolerances, it is a valuable crop option for those who live in harsher environments. The plant also shows potential as birdseed, as a number of songbirds have been observed feeding on seed heads in the field.

An interesting use for Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) is in the “push-pull” management strategy, which involves planting a species that repels (pushes) certain pests amongst the desired crop, and planting a species that attracts (pulls) these same pests on the perimeter of the cultivated area. This strategy decreases the need for pesticides and weeding, while increasing soil fertility (if the push plant is a nitrogen-fixer) and erosion control. Napier grass in particular provides these benefits and may also be harvested for paper pulp and biofuel production. Here's a short video that describes the use of this push-pull technique by farmers in Africa: