Common name: Moor Grass
Family: Poaceae, Grass
Height x width: 2-8' x 1-2' varying with cultivar as noted
Growth rate: slow to moderate
Foliage: narrow 12-18" long, upright to slightly arching from basal clump, flower scapes held much higher than foliage
Flowers: generally loose panicle 5-10" long; yellow, green or purple; provides airy late season interest on taller cultivars
Hardiness: zones 4-9
Soil: moist, fertile, acidic
Light: sun
Pests and Problems: none serious except from improper soil conditions
Landscape habit, uses: fine texture, massed, rock gardens
Other interest: native to Eurasia; genus named for 18th century Chilean writer J.I. Molina
Other culture: one of few grasses to shed previous year's foliage so no need to cut back
Propagation: spring division, from seed is slow
Species:
caerulea (sa-ruu' lee-ah)--Purple Moor Grass, only species of
commerce and cultivars, many cultivars are in subspecies arundinacea
and may be seen as littorialis, M. arudinacea, M. arundinacea var.
altissima
Cultivars: (of caerulea)
Those marked * are the most seen in U.S. commerce.
| Cultivar | subspecies | height | characteristics |
| 'Bergfreund' ('Friend of the Mountain') | arundinacea | 4-5' | |
| 'Dauerstrahl' ('Faithful Ray') | 1-3' | rounded flowering tufts | |
| 'Fontaene' ('Fountain') | arundinacea | 5-6' | arching, golden in fall |
| 'Heidebraut' ('Bride of the Heath') | 2-3' | upright | |
| 'Moorflamme' ('Moor Flame') | 1-2' | ||
| 'Moorhexe' ('Moor Witch') | 1-2' | ||
| *'Skyracer' | arundinacea | 8-9' | upright, showy |
| 'Staefa' | arundinacea | 4-5' | fine texture, multiple flower stalks |
| 'Strahlenquelle' ('Source of Ray') | 2-3' | radiating flowers | |
| 'Transparent' | arundinacea | 6-7' | arching, more upright than 'Fontaene' |
| *'Variegata' | 1-2' | yellow-white stripes | |
| 'Windspiel' ('Wind Game') | arundinacea | 6-7' | upright, slender habit |
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