Setaria palmifolia

Dave,

I first saw this plant growing at the J.C. Raulston arboretum in
Raleigh, N.C., during the Perennial Plant Association's 1997 meeting.
Edith Eddleman,  curator of the perennial garden, caused quite a stir
with it.  She had it paired with Japanese Blood grass, Imperata
cylindrica 'Red Baron".  Quite nice.  The arboretum is located in USDA
Zone 8. The Setaria would be dug yearly there and overwintered in a
greenhouse.
The only U.S. source  for this plant that I am aware of  is Greenhouse
Works.  They maintain a website at www.glasshouseworks.com

The  co-owner, Tom Winn, told me that it was originally thought this
plant was extinct in the wild.  His source found it growing in an old
garden in Hawaii. The blurb from his 1997 catalog states:

'Setaria palmifolia rubra variegata :   Clumping "Malaysian Palm Grass "
with short, knotted, branched stalks clothed with wide plaited emerald
blades brightly margined white - flashy against the rose-maroon
cane-like stalks.  Few plants caused more commotion in our display beds
last summer. Attractive bottlebrush spikes late fall.'

I  grow this in my Zone 9b garden.  It has been very well behaved, so
far.  This is its second year... I do give it supplemental water and
fertilize regularly.  It is multiplying nicely, but it hasn't become
weedy. I say this with caution because everyone who sees it insists on a
division.  So far I have sent it only to friends who live in colder
zones where it would perish outdoors.

I too, would like to hear others experience with it. Perhaps Rod could
tell us if it is weedy in Australia?  I certainly do not want to be
responsible for introducing an exotic invasive species to my area.


Best,
Julie Finn
Zone 9b
Sarasota, Flordia, USA
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