Tender Fountaingrass
Cenchrus setaceus
Found in disturbed areas. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you
Not native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 76%
- Height
- 3–4 feet
- Spread
- 3–4 feet
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Somewhat dry to moist
.jpg){kind=link}
Do not plant. Listed invasive in Florida.
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Annual
- Bloom
- May to October
Not yet recorded · Leaves
Recorded in 12 Florida counties.
Habitats
Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.
Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there. All habitats
Who uses this plant?
11CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL
Genus host records with ranges including FL · Cenchrus
- Anicla infectaGreen Cutworm Moth
- Dargida diffusaWheat Head Armywotm Moth
- Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
- Hylephila phyleusFiery Skipper
- Lerema acciusClouded Skipper, Corn Leaf tier
- Lerodea eufalaEufala Skipper, Gray Skipper, Rice Leafroller
- Mocis latipesSmall Mocis, Striped Grass Looper
- Mythimna sequaxWheat Armyworm
- Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
- Nola cereellaSorghum Cutworm, Sorghum Webworm Moth, Sorgham Webworm Moth
Show all 11
- Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
7BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Cenchrus
- Cardinalis cardinalisNorthern Cardinal
- Passerina cirisPainted Bunting
- Pheucticus ludovicianusRose-breasted Grosbeak
- Porzana carolinaSora
- Tympanuchus phasianellusSharp-tailed Grouse
- Vireo olivaceusRed-eyed Vireo
- Zenaida asiaticaWhite-winged Dove
Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
Plant details
- Family
- Poaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 9a–11b
- Flower color
- Pink, purple or red
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “May to October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “Pink, purple or red” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Hardiness · “Zones 9a–11b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “3–4 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Annual” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “3–4 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Fountain Grass; Tender Fountain Grass
Conservation status
| Florida rank | SNA |
|---|---|
| Global rank | Not available |
| FL status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Native alternatives
Find natives for your gardenSources
- Atlas of Florida Plants
- Florida Invasive Species Council list
- NatureServe Explorer
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications