Bottlebrush Grass (Elymus Hystrix)

A native perennial known as Elymus hystrix, bottlebrush grass ranges in height from 2½-5' tall. The erect central stalk is green and round. Leaf blades are up to 12" long and 2/3" across. The plant is also sometimes classified as Hystrix patula.

Plants are greyish green to dark green, hairless, and floppy. The leaf sheaths are greyish green, finely ribbed and hairless. A short papery membrane where the sheath meets the blade eventually turns brown. The entire plant later turns light brown in fall and winter.

The most ornamental feature of this grass is the floral spikes, which are about 5 to 9 inches long and more or less erect. Pairs of spikelets occur sparingly along the flower. When the plant blooms, they are perpendicular to the central stalk and spread widely. Pollination by wind results in formation of long narrow seeds, which easily detach from the stalk and fall to the ground. The light brown seed heads are particularly ornamental when back-light, and can be an attractive feature in a late summer or fall garden.

The common name of the plant comes from the fact that the flowers and seed heads look like a brush used to clean bottles.

This grass spreads by reseeding itself; it often forms small colonies of several plants.

In the garden, the plant fares well in light to moderate shade. In my Illinois garden, it does well in the perennial bed on the north side of my house and in areas shaded by a large tree.

Bare-root plants are not readily available, but it is not difficult to grow this plant from seeds, which are available from suppliers such as Prairie Moon Nursery. The easiest way to grow the plant from seed is to sow seeds outdoors in the fall.

When fall sowing was not possible, I started seedlings of this plant indoors using techniques in Prairie Moon Nursery's cultural guide. To start the seeds, I chilled a packet in the refrigerator for 60 days and then planted the seeds in flats. I then grew the seedlings in a sunny, south-facing window.

There are about 7,600 seeds per ounce.

The natural range of this plant is the eastern half of the US and Canada, from the Atlantic coast to Nebraska. The USDA lists its range as far south as Georgia and Alabama and into the Canadian provinces.