Common name: Hair Grass
Family: Poaceae, Grass
Height x width: 2-3' x 2-3' mounded
Growth rate: moderate
Foliage: narrow up to 2' long and ¼" wide, generally rolled inwards, rough midrib and margins
Flowers: large open panicle 12-24" tall, panicle itself 10-18" long and 6-8" wide; individual flowers silver, green or purple often all in same panicle; bloom mid-summer to fall, attractive through fall
Hardiness: zones 4-9 (see notes below)
Soil: most except extremes, tolerate drought
Light: sun or part shade
Pests and Problems: none serious, occasional rusts
Landscape habit, uses: border, rock garden, water's edge, containers, dried flowers, especially against dark background such as evergreen or hedge; perhaps most fine-textured grass
Other interest: native to Eurasia or U.S. depending on species; named for the 18th century French natrualist Louis Deschamps
Other culture: low maintenance, cut back previous year's growth in spring
Propagation: spring division or seeds
Species:
caespitosa (cess-pi-toe' sah)--Tufted Hair Grass, 2-3', bronze to cream panicles, will tolerate part shade if sufficient moisture, does not tolerate heat and humidity of zone 8 and higher; main species of cultivars
flexuosa (flex-uu-o' sah)--Crinkled Hair Grass, 1-2', gold or
purplish panicles twisted or "crinkled" later in summer, prefers zone 7
and cooler in East, but will tolerate zones 8-9 of west coast without heat
and humidity, good planted with heathers; 'Aurea' has golden foliage in
spring
Cultivars: (of caespitosa)
Those marked * are most seen in U.S. commerce.
| Cultivar | height | inflorescence |
| 'Bronzeschleier' ('Bronze Veil') | 3' | bronze-yellow |
| 'Fairy's Joke' | 3' | cream, small plantlets in panicle, var. vivipara |
| 'Goldgehaenge' ('Gold Shower') | 3' | golden-yellow |
| 'Goldschleier' ('Gold Veil') | 2-3' | bright yellow |
| 'Goldstaub'('Gold Dust') | 1-2' | yellow |
| 'Schottland' ('Scotland') | 4-6' | cream |
| 'Tardiflora' | 3' | cream, late |
| 'Tautraeger' ('Dew Carrier') | 3' | cream, slender |
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