Fountain grass is an attractive perennial grass with a densely clumped growth form and erect stems that grow 2 to 3 feet high. The small flowers of fountain grass are grouped in pink or purple, bristly, upright inflorescences 6-15 inches long.
Fruits are small, dry achenes adorned with long showy bristles.
Fountain grass is a highly aggressive, fire- adapted colonizer that readily outcompetes native plants and rapidly reestablishes after burning. In Hawaii, where it alters the natural fire regime, fountain grass is a major threat to some critically imperiled plant species and natural communities. Fountain grass raises fuel loads, which increases the intensity and spread of a fire, and results in severe damage to native, dry forest species adapted to less extreme fire regimes. Fountain grass is found in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Florida, Louisiana, and Tennessee. In the Hawaiian islands, it is found on the islands of Kauai, Oahu, Lanai, and Hawaii.