feather reed grass

Calamagrostis × acutiflora (Schrad.) DC.

Feather reed grass is a perennial hybrid between Calamagrostis arundinacea and Calamagrostis epigejos. Its name records a cross between two grasses rather than a single wild species. In cultivation, the combination produces a strongly upright plant used for vertical accents and for fresh or dried arrangements. The flowering stems stand well above the lower mass of foliage. Kew POWO: Calamagrostis × acutifloraNC State Extension: Feather Reed Grass

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Botanical name

GBIF explicitly lists supplied (Schrad.) Rchb. under accepted (Schrad.) DC.; Kew confirms same hybrid and parents. Verified name: Calamagrostis × acutiflora (Schrad.) DC.. Kew POWO: Calamagrostis × acutifloraGBIF Backbone: Calamagrostis ×acutiflora

Recognizing the plant

The green leaf blades are narrow, flattened and hairless, gathered into a dense erect clump. North Carolina Extension describes the foliage as eighteen to thirty-six inches tall, while the stiff flowering stems can reach five feet. Mature clumps are usually about one to two feet wide. Those proportions create a tall, relatively narrow outline rather than a broad spreading mound. NC State Extension: Feather Reed Grass

Seasonal development

North Carolina, United States

In North Carolina’s garden account, loose purplish plumes emerge in early summer, narrowing and becoming buff by late summer. The dried inflorescences can remain standing and attractive through much of winter. NC State Extension: Feather Reed Grass

Native range

Kew records the naturally occurring hybrid from Europe eastward to the Russian Far East. Its Eurasian distribution is distinct from its extensive cultivated use. Kew POWO: Calamagrostis × acutiflora