''Miscanthus sinensis'', the eulalia or Chinese silver grass, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...

in the grass

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Poaceae,

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to eastern Asia throughout most of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

and

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

Description

It is an

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition o ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...

grass, growing to tall, rarely , forming dense clumps from an underground

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow ...

. The

leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

are tall and 0.3–2 cm broad. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanis ...

s are purplish, held above the foliage. This plant is the preferred structure for the nesting of some species of paper wasps, such as '' Ropalidia fasciata''.

Nomenclature

The Latin

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bo ...

''sinensis'' means "from China", though the plant is found elsewhere in eastern Asia.

Forms and varieties

*''M. sinensis'' f. ''glaber'' Honda *''M. sinensis'' var. ''gracillimus'' Hitchc. *''M. sinensis'' var. ''variegatus'' Beal *''M. sinensis'' var. ''zebrinus'' Beal

Cultivation

It is widely cultivated as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

temperate climate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...

s around the world. It has become an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...

in parts of North America. However, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of escape or

hybridization Hybridization (or hybridisation) may refer to: *Hybridization (biology), the process of combining different varieties of organisms to create a hybrid *Orbital hybridization, in chemistry, the mixing of atomic orbitals into new hybrid orbitals *Nu ...

with extant wild ''M. sinensis'' populations with breeding and proper management.

Cultivars

Several

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s have been selected, including 'Strictus' with narrow growth habit, 'Variegata' with white margins, and ‘Zebrinus’ (sometimes incorrectly rendered as 'Zebrina') with horizontal yellow and green stripes across the leaves. Those marked have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

. *'Border Bandit' *'Cosmopolitan' *'Dronning Ingrid' *'Ferner Osten' *'Flamingo' *'Gewitterwolke' *'Ghana' *'Gold und Silber' *'Gracillimus' *'Grosse Fontäne' *'Kaskade' *'Kleine Fontäne' *'Kleine Silberspinne' *'Malepartus' *'Morning Light' *'Septemberrot' *'Silberfeder' *'Strictus' *'Undine' *'Variegatus' *'Zebrinus' File:Zebra grass 1.jpg, 'Zebrinus' File:Zebra grass 5.jpg, 'Strictus' File:Ferner Osten 1.jpg, 'Ferner Osten' File:Malepartus2.jpg, 'Malepartus'

Uses

''M. sinensis'' is a candidate for

bioenergy Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms biom ...

production due to its high yield, even in high stress environments, easy propagation, effective nutrient cycling, and high genetic variation.Stewart R, Toma Y, Fernández FG, Nishiwaki A, Yamada T, Bollero G (2009) The ecology and agronomy of “Miscanthus sinensis”, a species important to bioenergy crop development, in its native range in Japan: a review. Global Change Biology Bioenergy. 1-2, 126-153.

Synonyms

*''Eulalia japonica'' Trin. *''Saccharum japonicum'' Thunb.

Gallery

File:Tonomine highland 01 b.jpg, The beginning of November, on Tonomine highlands in Kamikawa, Hyogo, Japan File:Han iri susuki Zebra grass.png, Plant with horizontal variegations File:Miscanthus sinensis ja01.jpg, File:Leaf edge of Miscanthus sinensis.png, Magnified view of leaf;
0 to 1 = 1 mm; the saw-like edge can cut human skin

References

External links

Photos of ''Miscanthus sinensis'': seasonal/color changeFlora of China: ''Miscanthus sinensis''
{{Authority control sinensis Grasses of China Grasses of Russia Flora of tropical Asia Flora of Japan Flora of Korea Flora of the Russian Far East Flora of Taiwan Garden plants of Asia Plants described in 1855