Micanthus x giganteus, sometimes referred to as elephant grass, is a promising energy crop, originally imported from Asia, that the University of Illinois is investigating as an energy crop. It is a perennial grass known for its ornamental forms. The type being investigated for an energy crop is a stronger-stemmed highly productive hybrid that grows to a height of 8 to 12 feet. The U of I team calculates that over a ten year period, with no subsidies to either crop, it would be more profitable than corn or soybeans.