Scientific name: Pennisetum setaceum

Hawaiian Name: —

Classification: Phylum: Monocotyledonae. Family: Poaceae

Origin: Introduced as an ornamental.

Status: Locally common.

Distribution: Kaua`i, O`ahu, Lana`i, Big Island.

Map:

Fountaingrass is fine in backyard gardens, but since its introduction here (before 1900) it has spread to thoer areas where it outcompletes other grasses that livestock use (they do not like the taste of fountaingrass) and it is an extreme fire hazard when it dries up in arid areas.