| This species in the grass family have narrow, grasslike foliage, with leaf veins typically parallel to one another, and the leaf margins are most often smooth. With a few exceptions, such as bamboo, most grasses are herbaceous, meaning they do not develop woody tissues. Roots of grasses form a fibrous mass and enable the plant to survive long-term dry periods. Stems are composed of solids joints, called nodes, separated by segments called internodes. Nodes are the points of attachment for leaves. Flowers, and later seeds, are borne in spikes, racemes or panicles, on a central stem. Grasses spread horizontally by stolons or rhizomes, and reproduce by seed as well. Fertilizing ornamental grasses can result in over-lush growth and unmanageability. A cool season grower; grows best in alkaline or gravelly soils.
Achnatherum splendens can reach 8 feet tall, with purple-pink, open, feathery panicles forming from June to July. Foliage is narrow and dark green in basal clumps. Inflorescences fade to tan. Also known as Stipa splendens. |
