Ornamental grasses are

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...

es grown as

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 i ...

s. Ornamental grasses are popular in many colder

hardiness zones A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

for their resilience to cold temperatures and aesthetic value throughout fall and winter seasons.

Classifications

Along with

true grasses Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns and ...

(Poaceae), several other families of grass-like plants are typically marketed as ornamental grasses. These include the

sedges The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' wit ...

(Cyperaceae), rushes (Juncaceae),

restios The Restionaceae, also called restiads and restios, are a family of flowering plants native to the Southern Hemisphere; they vary from a few centimeters to 3 meters in height. Following the APG IV (2016): the family now includes the former famil ...

(Restionaceae), and cat-tails (Typhaceae). All are

monocotyledons Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute one of t ...

, typically with narrow leaves and parallel veins. Most are herbaceous

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 wid ...

s, though many are

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

and some develop woody tissues. They bring striking linear form, texture, color, motion, and sound to the garden, throughout the year.

Habits

Almost all ornamental grasses are

perennials 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 ...

, coming up in spring, from their

root In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the su ...

s, which have stored large quantities of

energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat a ...

, and in fall or winter go dormant. Some, notably

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

s, are

, and a few are annuals. Many are

bunch grass Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perennia ...

es and tussock grasses, though others form extensive systems of many-branched rhizomes. The bunching types are often called "clump-forming" or "clumping", distinct from the rhizomatous types, called "running". Sizes vary from a few centimeters up to several meters; the larger bamboos may reach 20 m or more tall. Some ornamental grasses are species that can be grown from seed. Many others are

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, and must be propagated by

vegetative propagation Vegetative reproduction (also known as vegetative propagation, vegetative multiplication or cloning) is any form of asexual reproduction occurring in plants in which a new plant grows from a fragment or cutting of the parent plant or spec ...

of an existing plant. Pampas grass (''

Cortaderia selloana ''Cortaderia selloana'' is a species of flowering plant in the Poaceae family. It is referred to by the common name pampas grass, and is native to southern South America, including the Pampas region after which it is named. Etymology ''Cortade ...

'') is easily recognizable, with semi-dwarf to very large selections for the landscape. Deer grass (''

Muhlenbergia rigens ''Muhlenbergia rigens'', commonly known as deergrass, is a warm season perennial bunchgrass. It is found in sandy or well-drained soils below in elevation in the Southwestern United States and parts of Mexico. Description Deergrass is character ...

'') and canyon prince wild blue rye (''

Leymus condensatus ''Leymus condensatus'', the giant wildrye, is a wild rye grass native to eastern Oregon, California and northern Mexico. Description ''Leymus condensatus'' also commonly referred to as ''Canyon Prince'' is a type of wild rye that is part of t ...

'') are popular in larger settings,

natural landscaping Natural landscaping, also called native gardening, is the use of native plants and adapted species, including trees, shrubs, groundcover, and grasses which are local to the geographic area of the garden. Benefits Maintenance Natural land ...

, and

native plant In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often popularised as "with no human intervention") during history. The term is equ ...

gardens. There are ''

Miscanthus ''Miscanthus'', or silvergrass, is a genus of African, Eurasian, and Pacific Island plants in the grass family, Poaceae. ; Species * '' Miscanthus changii'' Y.N.Lee – Korea * '' Miscanthus depauperatus'' Merr. – the Philippines * '' Miscant ...

'' grasses whose variegations are horizontal, and appear even on a

cloud In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals may co ...

y day to be stippled with sunshine. Many ''Miscanthus'' and ''

Pennisetum ''Pennisetum'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family, native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the world. They are known commonly as fountaingrasses (fountain grasses).Stipa ''Stipa'' is a genus of around 300 large perennial hermaphroditic grasses collectively known as feather grass, needle grass, and spear grass. They are placed in the subfamily Pooideae and the tribe Stipeae, which also contains many species form ...

'' species flower in the spring, the inflorescence standing almost two metres above the clumps of leaves, and again the seed heads last late into the winter. When gardening near natural wildland-urban interfaces, one should take care to avoid planting invasive species, such as ''

Cortaderia jubata ''Cortaderia jubata'' is a species of grass known by several common names, including purple pampas grass and Andean pampas grass. It is similar to its more widespread relative, the pampas grass ''Cortaderia selloana'', but it can get quite a bit ...

'', ''

Pennisetum setaceum ''Cenchrus setaceus'', commonly known as crimson fountaingrass, is a C4 perennial bunch grass that is native to open, scrubby habitats in East Africa, tropical Africa, the Middle East and south-western Asia. It has been introduced to many part ...

'', and ''

Nassella tenuissima ''Nassella tenuissima'' is a species of grass known by the common names Mexican feathergrass,McLaren D, Whattam M, Blood K, Stajsic V, Hore R. 1999. Mexican feather grass (Nassella tenuissima): a potential disaster for Australia, 12th Australian ...

'' (syn. ''Stipa tenuissima''), as such is responsible horticulture.

Examples

True grasses

* '' Agrostis nebulosa'' (cloud grass) * ''

Calamagrostis × acutiflora ''Calamagrostis × acutiflora'', called feather reed-grass, is a naturally occurring hybrid species of grass in the genus ''Calamagrostis'', occasionally found in Europe and Asia. Its cultivar 'Karl Foerster' has gained the Royal Horticultural So ...

'' (feather reed grass) - several

sRHS Online: ''The Royal Horticultural Society Horticultural Database''
/ref> * '' Calamagrostis brachytricha'' AGM (Korean feather reed grass) * '' Calamagrostis foliosa'' (coastal or leafy reedgrass) * ''

'' (pampas grass) - many cultivars * ''

Deschampsia cespitosa ''Deschampsia cespitosa'', commonly known as tufted hairgrass or tussock grass, is a perennial tufted plant in the grass family Poaceae. Distribution of this species is widespread including the eastern and western coasts of North America, parts o ...

'' (tufted hair-grass) - many cultivars * ''

Festuca arundinacea ''Festuca arundinacea'' ( syn., ''Schedonorus arundinaceus'' and ''Lolium arundinaceum'') is a species of grass commonly known as tall fescue. It is a cool-season perennial C3 species of bunchgrass native to Europe. It is an important forage g ...

'' (tall fescue) - many cultivars * '' Festuca californica'' (California fescue) * ''

Festuca glauca ''Festuca glauca'', commonly known as blue fescue, is a species of flowering plant in the grass family, Poaceae. It is a commonly cultivated evergreen or semi-evergreen herbaceous perennial. Taxonomy Common names include blue fescue, blue mounta ...

'' (blue fescue, grey fescue, ornamental blue fescue grass) - many cultivars * ''

Festuca idahoensis ''Festuca idahoensis'' is a species of grass known by the common names Idaho fescue and blue bunchgrass. It is native to western North America, where it is widespread and common. It can be found in many ecosystems, from shady forests to open plai ...

'' (Idaho fescue, blue bunchgrass) * ''

Festuca ovina ''Festuca ovina'', sheep's fescue or sheep fescue, is a species of grass. It is sometimes confused with hard fescue (''Festuca trachyphylla''). General description It is a perennial plant sometimes found in acidic ground, and in mountain pastur ...

'' (sheep's fescue) - many cultivars * ''

Festuca rubra ''Festuca rubra'' is a species of grass known by the common name red fescue or creeping red fescue. It is widespread across much of the Northern Hemisphere and can tolerate many habitats and climates. It is best adapted to well-drained soils in c ...

'' (creeping fescue grass, red fescue, red fescue grass) - many cultivars * ''

Helictotrichon sempervirens ''Helictotrichon sempervirens'', the blue oat grass, is a species of flowering plant in the true grass family, Poaceae, native to central and southwest European grasslands. It is a bunchgrass often used as an ornamental grass in garden design ...

'' AGM (blue oat grass) - several cultivars * ''

'' (giant wildrye, canyon prince, wild blue rye) * '' Melica imperfecta'' (smallflower melic, little California melic) * ''

Miscanthus sinensis ''Miscanthus sinensis'', the eulalia or Chinese silver grass, is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae, native to eastern Asia throughout most of China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea. Description It is an herbaceous perennial gras ...

'' (Chinese silver grass, eulalia, eulaia grass, maiden grass, zebra grass, Susuki grass, porcupine grass) - numerous cultivars, several with AGMs * ''

'' (deer grass) * ''

Panicum virgatum ''Panicum virgatum'', commonly known as switchgrass, is a perennial warm season bunchgrass native to North America, where it occurs naturally from 55°N latitude in Canada southwards into the United States and Mexico. Switchgrass is one of the ...

'' (switchgrass) * '' Pennisetum alopecuroides'' (Chinese fountain grass, Chinese pennisetum, fountain grass, swamp foxtail grass) - many cultivars * ''

'' AGM & ''P. setaceum'' 'Rubrum' AGM (red fountain grass, African fountain grass, fountain grass, purple fountain grass, ruby grass) - & several other cultivars * '' Pennisetum villosum'' AGM (feathertop) * ''

Stipa gigantea ''Celtica gigantea'', commonly called giant feather grass, giant needle grass, or golden oats, is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae, native to the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco. It is still widely referenced in the horticul ...

'' AGM (golden oats) * '' Stipa tenuissima'' syn. ''Nassella tenuissima'' (Mexican feather grass, Texas needle grass)

Sedges

* '' Carex comans'' (New Zealand hair sedge) - many cultivars * ''

Carex elata ''Carex elata'', tufted sedge, is a species in the genus ''Carex'', native to all of Europe, the Atlas Mountains of Africa, Turkey, Iran and Central Asia. It prefers to grow with its roots in water. Its cultivar 'Aurea' has gained the Royal Horti ...

'' 'Aurea' AGM (Bowles' golden sedge) * '' Carex flacca'' (syn. ''C. glauca'') (blue sedge, gray carex, glaucous sedge, or carnation-grass) * '' Carex oshimensis'' - ''Evergold' AGM * ''

Carex pansa ''Carex pansa'' is a species of sedge known by the common name sand dune sedge. It is native to coast of western North America from British Columbia to California, where it grows in dunes and other sandy habitat. This grasslike sedge produces sha ...

'' (sand dune sedge) * ''

Carex pendula ''Carex pendula'' (pendulous sedge, also known as hanging, drooping or weeping sedge) is a large sedge of the genus ''Carex''. It occurs in woodland, scrubland, hedges and beside streams, preferring damp, heavy clay soils. It is sometimes grown ...

'' (pendulous, hanging, drooping or weeping sedge) - & cultivars * '' Carex praegracilis'' (clustered field sedge, field sedge, expressway sedge) * ''

Carex siderosticta ''Carex siderosticta'' is a species of sedge native to East Asia. It is the only species of ''Carex'' known to produce "pseudo-lateral" culms, which appear to be lateral, but derive from the apical meristem. It is the type species of ''Carex'' s ...

'' (creeping broad-leafed sedge) - several cultivars * ''

Carex spissa ''Carex spissa'' is a species of sedge known by the common name San Diego sedge. It is native to the southwestern United States in California, Arizona,Carex ''Carex'' is a vast genus of more than 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of genus ''Carex'' ...

'' several other species & cultivars (including Japanese sedges & others) * '' Uncinia rubra'' (red hook sedge)

Environmental impact

Some ornamental grasses have become serious

invasive weed 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 ad ...

s, usually as garden escapes into natural vegetation areas.

Images

File:Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'.jpg File:Nationwide Building Society, Piper's Way, Swindon - geograph.org.uk - 602240.jpg File:PampasGrass.jpg File:Ornamental grasses at Blackbrook Farm - geograph.org.uk - 1546097.jpg File:Minnesota Landscape Arboretum 1.jpg File:WinterMiscanthus.jpg File:Chinese fountain grass.jpg

References

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