Scientific Name:
Miscanthus sinensis
Pronunciation:
miss-KAN-thuss sye-NEN-siss
Common Name:
maiden grass
Family Name:
Poaceae
Plant Type:
Herbaceous perennial, Poales (grass-like)
Key ID Features:
Arching ornamental grass, for most cultivars, culms 80-200cm tall; leaves linear, most 18-75cm long x 0.5-2cm wide, midrib prominent and whitish, margins usually with tiny sharp teeth; inflorescence panicle-like, 20-35cm long, spikelets in 10 to 40 long spike-like rows 10-30cm long, furry appearance.
Habit:
Arching, Dense, Upright
Form:
Oval - vertical, Vase
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
2 - 3m
Mature Spread:
1.5 - 2.0m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
S.E. Asia / Japan / China
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 4: (-34 to -29 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
High
Landscape Uses:
Cut flower or foliage, Fall interest, Mixed shrub border, Perennial border, Screening, Specimen plant, Tall background, Waterside planting
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown or on campus may include (height with flowers; central leaf blade width):
M. 'Cosmopolitan' (2-3m tall; blades variegated 2.5-3.5cm wide),
M. 'Goliath' (2.5-3m tall; blades 2.5cm wide),
M. 'Gracillimus', (1.5-1.8m tall; blades about 6mm wide)
M. 'Little Kitten' (60-75cm tall; blades 2-3mm wide),
M. 'Morning Light' (1.2-1.8m tall; blades 4-7mm wide and variegated with 1mm white margins), M. 'Positano',
M. 'Purpurascens' (90-130cm tall; blades 9-13mm wide; spectacular orange-red fall colour),
M. 'Silberfeder' (1.8-2.4m tall strong rounded clump year round; blades about 2cm wide),
M. 'Strictus' (1.8-2.4m tall; blades 13-24mm wide with horizontal yellow bands), and
M. 'Yaku Jima' (90-120cm tall; blades about 9-11mm wide).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Grass-like
Arrangement:
Alternate, Basal
Texture/Venation:
Parallel venation
Surfaces:
Colour in Summer:
Bluish, Green, Yellow, All have a whitish midrib but cvs. Cosmopolitan, Morning Light, and Stictus are further variegated.
Colour in Fall:
Yellow, Brown, Bronze
Shapes:
Linear
Apices:
Acuminate
Bases:
Sheathing
Margins:
Serrulate
Inflorescence Type:
Spikelet, Panicle-like
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
0
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Purple, Pink, Dark-red (Inflorescence usually emerges whitish then reddish as flowers ripen and then silverish to light brown once they're spent.)
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Aug, Sep, Oct
Fruit Type:
Grain (caryopsis)
Fruit Colour:
Brown, Silver
Fruiting Time:
Oct, Nov
Additional Info:
Showy, Persistent, Not enough heat for seed to mature in BC.
Bark Morphology:
Smooth
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Organ Modifications:
Rhizomes
Propagation:
Division - below ground parts
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant, Rabbit resistant)
Course(s):
- CLT Training
- HORT 1155
- Level 1 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
- (AGB) Acer Griseum Bed : cv. ?
- (BGR) Boulevard by Glover Road : cvs. Yaku Jima, Strictus
- (BUG) BUG garden : dead? - cv. Gracillimus
- (CGW) Community Garden West : cv.?
- (GRB) GRass Bed : all are cvs. (also M. hybrids in bed)
- (GRBE) GRass Bed East : cvs. Purpurascens, Little Kitten (3), Cosmopolitan, Strictus,
- (GRBW) GRass Bed West : cvs. Morning Light (3), Cosmopolitan; Goliath
- (MCF) Main Courtyard Fountain
- (PDW) PonD West : cv. Yaku Jima