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Pennisetum polystachion (L.) Schult.

Synonym	:	Cenchrus retusus Sw.
Family	:	Poaceae
Local name	:	English - Mission Grass, Thin Napier grass Malayalam-  nambiar pullu
Flowering and fruiting period	:	All year around
Distribution	:	Cosmopolitan
Distribution in Kerala	:	All districts
Habitat	:	Grasslands, open and disturbed hillsides
Key botanical characters:  Mission Grass is a clustered annual grass, with culms slender to moderately stout, up to 2 m tall, usually 1-2 m, simple or few-branched, Leaves are 5-40 cm long, 5-18 mm wide, hairless or velvet-hairy. Flowers are borne in dense spikes, yellow brown, 5-25 cm long, 13-26 mm wide; spikelets surrounded by bristles, these densely hairy at base, unequal, one longer than the others but not greatly exceeding the next one or two shorter ones, 12-25 mm long. Spikelets are 2-flowered about 5 mm long, upper floret perfect.