Anemanthele lessoniana
Anemanthele lessoniana• Click here to visit our Main Plant List page for current availability of this plant
• common name: pheasant-tail grass
• flowering season: does not have conspicuous flowers
• height: 2 to 2½ feet
• Light requirements: full sun or partial shade where summers are very warm
• Soil requirements: average
• Water requirments: average
• Growth habit: grows as a widening clump and does not run at the root
• How to propagate: dividing in early summer or from seeds
• Leaf type: very thin, arching leaves of green that will turn amber
• Ways to use it: grows well in a pot or in the ground
• Special characteristics: the lightness of the leaves allow them to move and sway with the breezes
• Other points of interests: on the plant its seeds are inconspicuous and are easily overlooked -- in our climate they drop and sprout at the foot of the parent plant and take a year to reach any size, so they are not a problem to weed out if they're not wanted; in California and Florida they may be more of a problem if not kept within bounds
Poplularly known as pheasant-tail grass, this grows to a moderate height between two, and two and a half feet. It is clump forming and does not run at the root. Although it does seed itself around, the new seedlings do not grow so quickly that they get ahead of you if you want to weed them out. The habit is soft with the top of the grass splaying over a bit and gracefully arching. The seed stems also lean over and hardly grow any higher, so they are inconspicuous. The grass will be a rich green when well watered throughout the summer. A major highlight of the plant is its turning to russet colors, and an entire plant can have these colors. This coloring is more apt to appear if the plant is grown in full sun and allowed to dry out between waterings. Native to New Zealand, it has proven to be adaptable when grown in fairly dry situations in full sun as well as in understory plantings. We are not certain how much winter cold it can take, but know that it can take at least USDA Zone 8 (10°F).