Poaceae
Elephant grass
Cenchrus purpureus
- Family
- Poaceae
- Genus
- Cenchrus
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Common names
By language (27)
- Arabic
- ثيوم أرجواني
- arz
- ثيوم ارجوانى
- Bulgarian
- Слонова трева
- Burmese
- နေပီယာမြက်
- Cantonese
- 象草
- Chinese
- 象草
- dag
- Kagli
- English
- Elephant grass
- Finnish
- Elefanttisulkahirssi
- German
- Napiergras, Uganda-Gras
- Indonesian
- Rumput gajah
- Italian
- Erba degli elefanti, Erba elefante, Erba Napier, Erba ugandese
- Japanese
- ナピアグラス
- Javanese
- Kalanjana, Suket gajah
- Kannada
- ಆನೆ ಹುಲ್ಲು
- ki
- Thaara
- Kinyarwanda
- Urubingo
- Korean
- 큰왕풀, 네이피어풀, 우간다풀, 코끼리풀
- Macedonian
- Слоновска трева
- Marathi
- नेपियर गवत
- Nepali
- नेपियर घाँस
- Nyanja
- Senjele
- Portuguese
- Capim-elefante
- Russian
- Слоновая трава, Перистощетинник пурпурный
- Spanish
- MARALFALFA
- Swahili
- Mabingobingo
- Tamil
- நேப்பியர் புல்
Synonyms
- Gymnotrix nitens Andersson
- Pennisetum benthamii Steud.
- Pennisetum benthamii var. nudum Hack.
- Pennisetum benthamii var. sambesiense Hack.
- Pennisetum benthamii var. ternatum Hack.
- Pennisetum blepharideum Gilli
- Pennisetum flavicomum Leeke
- Pennisetum flexispica K.Schum.
- Pennisetum giganteum Regel
- Pennisetum gossweileri Stapf & C.E.Hubb.
- Pennisetum hainanense H.R.Zhao & A.T.Liu
- Pennisetum lachnorrhachis Peter
- Pennisetum macrostachyum Benth.
- Pennisetum nitens (Andersson) Hack.
- Pennisetum pallescens Leeke
- Pennisetum pruinosum Leeke
- Pennisetum purpureum Schumach.
- Pennisetum purpureum subsp. benthamii (Steud.) Maire & Weiller
- Pennisetum purpureum subsp. flexispica (K.Schum.) Maire & Weiller
Flowers
- In flower
- April to May, November to February (from 130 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Photos
FlowerPhoto: vrxz, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: vrxz, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: chiuluan, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: vrxz, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Saryu Mae 前 朝琉, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Yercaud-elango, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Yercaud-elango, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Ong Jyh Seng, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Yercaud-elango, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: vrxz, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: 葉子, CC0, from iNaturalist
More in Cenchrus
- Pearl milletCenchrus americanusPoaceae
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- Buffel grassCenchrus ciliarisPoaceae
- FeathertopCenchrus longisetusPoaceae
- Indian sandburCenchrus biflorusPoaceae
- Mat sandburCenchrus longispinusPoaceae
- African feathergrassCenchrus caudatusPoaceae
- Deenanath Grass, Desho grass, Nigeria grassCenchrus pedicellatusPoaceae
- Coastal sandburCenchrus spinifexPoaceae
- Agrimony sandburCenchrus agrimonoidesPoaceae
Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.