African feather grass is a perennial grass which grows up to two metres high and resembles pampas grass. Native to South Africa (Environment Waikato Regional Council 2002) this tussock-forming and rhizomatous grass forms an extensive fibrous root system to a metre in depth. Stout rhizomes may develop reaching two metres in length and reaching downwards approximately one metre in depth. The leaves of C. macrourus are light green to dark underneath with occasional bluish-purple edges (Greater Wellington Regional Council 2002). The leaves of the plant may arise from the base of the plant, or from erect, cylindrical stems. The leaves grow to 1.2m long, and are 10 - 13 millimetres wide. Ribbing is pronounced on the upper surface. They are slightly curved in cross-section, and the edge has tangible serrations (Australian Department of Primary Industries and Water 2002).
African Feather Grass produces a long, thin flower head (\"inflorescence\"), in late spring to summer. It ranges from 75 - 300 millimetres long, and 10 - 20 millimetres in diameter. Prominent bristles protrude out from the stem of the inflorescence (approximately 1 centimetre long). Seeds are released in late summer and autumn and are yellow - brown in colour and 5 - 7 millimetres long. They have a number of tiny barbed bristles attached to them, allowing them to easily lodge in animal fur and wool. (Australian Department of Primary Industries and Water 2002).
Please note that in comparison to pampas grass, feather grass may be distinguished by its distinctive long, thin inflorescence and by its smaller more compact flowerhead/spikelets. Also, African feather grass often gets confused with pampas grass and toetoe. To distinguish between the three: African feather grass produces a narrow flower spike, while pampas and toetoe produce fluffy flower heads; African feather grass has a hairy leaf sheath where as pampas and toetoe don’t (Environment Canterbury 2003).

Cenchrus macrourus is also referred to as Pennisetum macrourum
Feather grasses have clusters of feather-like spiklets and belong to the grass family (a large and widespread family of plants - the Gramineae or Poaceae); these are characterised by hollow stems, sheath-forming leaves in two longitudinal rows, and minute flowers arranged in spikelets. A spikelet is a small or secondary spike, characteristic of grasses and sedges, having a varying number of reduced flowers each subtended (underlying, enclosing and surrounding) one or two scale-like bracts. The grasses include important food plants such as wheat, rice, corn, barley, oats, and sorghum and also plants for turf and fodder (The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition 2000).

Please follow these links to view the profile of a related species buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris; kikuyu grass Cenchrus clandestinus; feathery pennisetum Cenchrus polystachios; fountain grass Cenchrus setaceus; bur grass Setaria verticillata).