Grasses

Front 1

Calamagrostis xacutiflora

Back 1

feather reed grass

Hint 1

It is a slowly-spreading, clump-forming, cool season ornamental grass which features an erect, slightly arching, slender clump of narrow, stiff, rich green leaves growing to 3' tall and 2' wide. Leaves produce little fall color, eventually turning tan in winter. In June, tightly-vertical flower stalks rise well above the foliage to 6' tall bearing narrow plumes of feathery, purplish-green flowers which turn golden as the seeds mature in summer and eventually tan.

Front 2

Chasmanthium latifolium

Back 2

northern sea oats

Hint 2

This clump-forming, upright, ornamental grass is a Missouri native plant which typically grows 2-5' and most often occurs in rich woods or rocky slopes along streams and on moist bluffs. This grass is perhaps most distinguished by the flat, drooping seed heads which hang in terminal clusters on thread-like pedicils from slightly arching stems. Seed heads will flutter when caressed by even the softest of breezes. Seed heads emerge green but turn purplish bronze by late summer. Bright green leaves (5-9" long) turn a coppery color after frost and eventually brown by winter. Excellent for dried flower arrangements. Common name of inland sea oats is in reference to the similarity of the seed heads to those of oats. This grass was once known as Uniola latifolia.

Front 3

Festuca glauca

Back 3

blue fescue

Hint 3

Blue fescue is a short-lived, low-growing, semi-evergreen, clump-forming ornamental grass noted for its glaucous, finely-textured, blue-gray foliage. Foliage forms a dome-shaped, porcupine-like tuft of erect to arching, needle-like blades radiating upward and outward to a height of 6-8" (inflorescences typically bring total clump height to 10-14"). Light green flowers with a purple tinge appear in terminal panicles atop stems rising above the foliage in late spring to early summer, but inflorescences are not very showy. Flowers give way to buffy seed heads which some gardeners find attractive but others find detractive to both the symmetry of the plant and the foliage color. Synonymous with Festuca ovina var. glauca and Festuca ovina 'Glauca'.

Front 4

Miscanthus sinensis

Back 4

Chinese silver grass; maidengrass

Hint 4

It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 0.8–2 m (rarely 4 m) tall, forming dense clumps from an underground rhizome. The leaves are 18–75 cm tall and 0.3–2 cm broad. The flowers are purplish, held above the foliage. Maiden grass is noted for its narrow green leaves with a silver midrib which form a substantial, rounded, arching clump of foliage typically growing 4-6' tall (to 8' when in flower). Foliage turns yellowish after frost, but quickly fades to straw-beige by winter. Tiny reddish-copper flowers appear in tassel-like inflorescences above the foliage in late September, gradually turning into silvery white plumes as the seeds mature. Blooms later than most Miscanthus cultivars. Flower plumes persist well into winter providing good winter interest. 'Gracillimus' is an old and very popular cultivar.

Front 5

Nassella tenuissima

Back 5

needle grass; tussock grass, Mexican feather grass (syn. Stipa)

Hint 5

Mexican feather grass is a graceful and delicate very fine textured ornamental grass. It grows in a dense fountainlike clump with slender, wiry culms 1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m) tall. [A culm is the technical term for the jointed stem of a grass plant.] The leaves are 6-14 in (15.2-35.6 cm) long. They are rolled inward very tightly so that they appear as thin wiry filaments. The inflorescence is a silvery soft nodding panicle 6-12 in (15.2-30.5 cm) tall on a wiry stalk that stands above the leaves. [A panicle is a flower cluster in which the flowers are borne on branched stalks coming off the main axis.] Each flower within the panicle is adorned with a slender bristlelike awn, 2-3 in (5.1-7.6 cm) long. These long appendages add to the beauty and airiness of this lovely grass. Mexican feather grass blooms in late spring with a greenish flower cluster which persists well into fall as it ripens to golden brown. 'Pony Tails' is a selection noted for its abundant and very showy panicles.

Front 6

Panicum virgatum

Back 6

switch grass; panic grass

Hint 6

Switch grass is a Missouri native ornamental grass which was an important component of the tallgrass prairie which once covered large areas of the State. It occurs in both wet and dry soils in prairies and open woods, gravel bars and stream banks and along railroad tracks throughout most of the State. Switch grass is generally noted for its stiff, columnar form, and typically retains its vertical shape throughout the growing season. It is a clump-forming, warm season grass which typically grows to 3' tall. When in flower, flower panicles may bring total plant height to 6'. Features medium green leaves which turn yellow (sometimes with orange tints) in autumn, fading to tan-beige in winter. Foliage clump is topped in mid-summer by finely-textured, pink-tinged, branched flower panicles which hover over the foliage like an airy cloud. Panicles turn beige as the seeds mature in fall with the seed plumes persisting well into winter. Seeds are a food source for birds in winter.

Front 7

Pennisetum alopecuroides

Back 7

fountain grass

Hint 7

untain grass is a warm season ornamental grass which typically grows in graceful, spreading clumps from 2-3' tall and as wide. Features narrow, medium to deep green leaves (to 1/2" wide) in summer, changing to golden yellow in fall and fading to beige in late fall. Foliage usually remains attractive throughout the winter. Showy, silvery to pinkish-white, bristly, bottle brush-like flower spikes arch outward from the clump in late summer like water spraying from a fountain (hence the common name). Flower spikes turn brownish as the seeds form, and spikes usually persist until late fall or early winter before shattering. Many excellent fountain grass cultivars are available in commerce, ranging in height from 1-5' and featuring a variety of different flower colors (purples, pinks or whites) and autumn foliage.

Front 8

Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum'

Back 8

purple fountain grass

Hint 8

Pennisetum setaceum is a tender perennial fountain grass that is native to Africa, southeast Asia and the Middle East. It is a rapid-growing, clump-forming grass that produces arching, linear, narrow green leaves to 3’ tall and late summer flower spikes that rise above the foliage to 4’ tall. In warm areas where in may be grown as a perennial, it readily self seeds. In colder areas it dies in winter. Location means everything. ‘Rubrum’, sometimes commonly called purple or red fountain grass, is a burgundy-red leaved cultivar that is not invasive under any circumstances because, unlike the species, it rarely sets seed. Showy, fluffy, burgundy-purple flowers in bottlebrush-like spikes (to 12” long) top flower stalks that arch upward and outward above the burgundy-red foliage clump in summer. Overall clump appearance is reminiscent of water spraying from a fountain, hence the common name.

Front 9

Schizachyrium scoparium

Back 9

little bluestem

Hint 9

Little bluestem is one of the dominant grasses which grow in the rich and fertile soils of the tallgrass prairie. It is a Missouri native, warm season, ornamental grass which typically grows 2-4' tall (less frequently to 5') and occurs in prairies, open woods, clearings, glades, roadsides and waste areas throughout most of the State. Forms upright clumps of slender green leaves (1/4" wide) with a tinge of blue at the base. Purplish-bronze flowers appear in 3" long racemes on branched stems rising above the foliage in August. Resulting clusters of fluffy, silvery-white seed heads are attractive and may persist into winter. Most outstanding feature of this grass may be the bronze-orange fall foliage color. Formerly known as Andropogon scoparius.