Bottlebrush Grass (Elymus hystrix)

Bottlebrush Grass (Elymus hystrix)

Elymus hystrix, more commonly known as Bottlebrush Grass, or Eastern bottle-brush-grass, is a bunchgrass of the Poaceae grass family. It is native to the Eastern United States and Eastern Canada.

Bottlebrush Grass is a herbaceous plant with alternate, simple leaves, on erect stems. The flowers are white and bloom in spring.

Bottlebrush Grass can range from 2½ - 4 feet in height. There are usually two spikelets at each of the five to nine nodes of the plant. Unlike some similar native grasses, the blades of Bottlebrush Grass do not have glumes surrounding its spikelets.

Elymus hystrix is self-compatible; that is, it can reproduce using its own pollen. Elymus hystrix has four copies of its genome, exhibiting a type of polyploidy (Polyploidy is a condition in which the cells of an organism have more than one pair of (homologous) chromosomes.) called tetraploidy (tetraploid is four sets of chromosomes).

Bottlebrush Grass is typically found in rocky, damp to wet, partially shaded habitat such as near rivers, creeks, or woods. Elymus hystrix does not grow well in heavily shaded areas and often inhabits the regions on the edge of shaded wooded areas such as dappled edges of forests.

While Growth of Elymus hystrix appears to be inhibited by excess shade, it is relatively resistant to soil compaction when compared to other herbaceous plant species, making it well suited to home landscape in its more shady areas.

It is a larval host to the Northern Pearly Eye Butterfly (Lethe anthedon)

This native grass is considered present but rare in many counties of the state of Maine, several eastern counties of the states of South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

Plant Details

USDA Zones: 3-8

Germination Needs: No Special Treatment Needed

Life Cycle: Perennial

Sun Exposure: Partial to Shade

Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet, Medium, Medium-Dry

Plant Spacing: 1-1½ feet

Height: 3 feet

Bloom time: June, July, August

Advantages :

Pollinator Favorite: butterflies

Bird Favorite: seeds, insects, fruit, nectar, nesting, perchs.

Deer Resistant: Yes

Native to : Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota.

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Packet quantities:

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