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Fothergilla gardenii Witch Alder
Fothergilla gardenii (Witch Alder). Photo © Mary Free
You are here: Home / Plants / Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic / Grasses & Sedges / Elymus hystrix
(Bottlebrush Grass)

Elymus hystrix
(Bottlebrush Grass)

Elymus hystrix (Bottlebrush Grass) in April
Elymus hystrix (Bottlebrush Grass) in June.
Elymus hystrix (Bottlebrush Grass) en masse in June.
Elymus hystrix (Bottlebrush Grass) stamens on flowering spikelets in June.
Elymus hystrix (Bottlebrush Grass) in July
Elymus hystrix (Bottlebrush Grass) en masse in August
Elymus hystrix (Bottlebrush Grass) in September
Elymus hystrix (Bottlebrush Grass) in October.

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This graceful grass naturally grows in dry woodlands and barrens mostly north of the Mason-Dixon Line.* It is the most shade-tolerant native grass, and its distinctive flowering and seed heads are a lovely ornamental feature, showing especially well when backlit. Images by Elaine Mills, Arlington, VA and U.S. National Arboretum Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Edwin J. Jones, Director, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg; M. Ray McKinnie, Administrator, 1890 Extension Program, Virginia State, Petersburg. Grass Plant, Inflorescence, Seed Heads Height: 2–4 feet Spread: 1–11⁄2 feet Bloom Color: Green Characteristics Ornamental, cool-season, clumping perennial grass with upright, narrow, open habit Alternate, strap-like, medium green leaves, 12 inches long, with parallel venation Pale green, bristly, 8-inch inflorescences mature to tan seed heads in summer and persist into fall Spreads by self-seeding to form small colonies Attributes Tolerates drought, heavy shade, erosion, black walnut, and air pollution No serious pests or diseases Deer rarely severely damage Birds eat grain-like seeds; larval host to Northern Pearly Eye butterfly and several moth species; livestock can eat foliage before production of seedheads, whose awns can injure the animals Growing and Maintenance Tips Excellent Replacement for Soil Requirements: Well-drained Bambusa sp. - Bamboo Light Requirements: Sun, Partial Shade, Shade MIscanthus sinensis - Chinese Silver Grass Water Requirements: Dry, Moist Phyllostachys sp. - Bamboo Cut old foliage and seed heads to ground in late winter before new growth appears Pseudosasa sp. - Bamboo Mass in lightly-shaded woodland settings *In the Mid-Atlantic Region, it is native to DC and MD, rare in DE, and scattered throughout PA. It is common in the mountains and Piedmont and infrequent to rare or absent in the Coastal Plain of VA. Hardiness: USDA Zones 5–9 developed by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandria

Tried and True Native Plant Selections
for the Mid-Atlantic

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Elymus hystrix (Bottlebrush Grass)

This graceful grass naturally grows in dry woodlands and barrens mostly north of the Mason-Dixon Line.* It is the most shade-tolerant native grass, and its distinctive flowering and seed heads are a lovely ornamental feature, showing especially well when backlit.

*In the Mid-Atlantic Region, it is native to DC and MD, rare in DE, and scattered throughout PA. It is common in the mountains and Piedmont and infrequent to rare or absent in the Coastal Plain of VA.

Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants: 
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets