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Products > Setaria palmifolia 'Variegata'
 
Setaria palmifolia 'Variegata' - Malaysian Variegated Palm Grass

Note: This plant is no longer in stock. This is an archive page preserved for informational use.  

 
Habit and Cultural Information
Category: Grass
Family: Poaceae (Gramineae) (Grasses)
Origin: India (Asia)
Evergreen: Yes
Red/Purple Foliage: Yes
Variegated Foliage: Yes
Flower Color: Green
Bloomtime: Fall
Synonyms: [Setaria palmifolia 'Rubra Variegata'
Height: 1-2 feet
Width: 2-3 feet
Exposure: Sun or Shade
Seaside: Yes
Summer Dry: Yes
Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs
Winter Hardiness: 30-32° F
Setaria palmifolia 'Rubra Variegata' (Malaysian Variegated Palm Grass) - An evergreen outwardly spreading grass to 2 feet tall by 3 feet wide with long broad pleated leaves that have red central veins with bright white bands along the margins. The leaves emerge from maroon leaf sheaths along knotted stems that are a bit darker green and lack the coarse hair of regular Setaria palmifolia. In late fall cooler temperatures turn older foliage red as well and around this time appear the narrow bottlebrush-like inflorescence of small greenish flowers that rise above the foliage. Plant in full sun to light shade. May prove drought resistant like the species but seems to look best with regular summer irrigation. More tender than the species and will benefit from protection from even the lightest frost. An interesting and attractive plant - great alongside water features, rising out from lower growing plants or as a potted specimen that is sure to garner attention. This plant is considerably smaller and a little more tender than the green form of Setaria palmifolia. We thank variegated plant enthusiast Bob Hornback for sharing this plant with us but feel it as weak as the red form and have decided not to continue to grow it in 2013 - fun for the collector but hardly a landscape plant. 

The information displayed on this page about Setaria palmifolia 'Variegata' is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.

 
We closed for regular business at the end of 2025 in order for the property to be developed for affordable housing.
Our gates remain closed but we will open them by appointment to interested parties through August 21st to liquidate remaining plants, supplies and equipment.
The plants remaining in the field are listed on our
Live Inventory Page.
 
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