Melinis minutiflora Silver Queen seeds

The Melinis minutiflora ‘Silver Queen’, also known as molasses grass or honey grass, is an ornamental grass that captivates with its delicate silhouette and feathery, silvery-hued inflorescences. This variety adds movement and a very poetic touch to summer displays. It is used in open ground, in dry or naturalistic gardens, but also in pots on balconies and patios. Grown as an annual, its cultivation presents no difficulty.

The Melinis minutiflora 'Silver Queen' belongs to the Poaceae family. The species bears the common names of 'honey grass', 'molasses grass' or 'small-flowered melinis'. The scientific name of the species is Melinis minutiflora, which has the synonyms Panicum melinis and Melinis tenuinervis.

Native to tropical Africa, Melinis minutiflora are naturally found in two disjunct populations: one extending from central Angola to Cameroon in West Africa, and the other on the lower slopes of the Ruwenzori Mountains and Mount Kenya in East Africa. Introduced to many tropical and subtropical regions, particularly in South America, Asia and Oceania, it has become naturalised in various habitats, often after being used as a fodder plant. It is known for its aromatic foliage and silky inflorescences.

The cultivar 'Silver Queen' is a horticultural selection distinguished by its more silvery and silky inflorescences, earlier flowering, and a form particularly suited to ornamental gardens. With its soft and slightly trailing habit, this grass forms dense clumps. Its growth is rapid, germinating in 1 to 3 weeks and growing quickly during the summer. In open ground, it reaches a height of 60 to 80 cm and a spread of 40 to 60 cm. In pots, its dimensions are slightly reduced, with a height of 40 to 60 cm and a spread of 30 to 50 cm. It does not produce suckers; its propagation is mainly by sowing. The inflorescences in loose terminal panicles 10 to 20 cm long are formed  of spikelets with long, pilous awns, giving the plant a feathery and silky appearance. Flowering occurs from July to September in the northern hemisphere. The linear and sheathing leaves measure 5 to 20 cm long by 0.5 to 1.5 cm wide. They are covered by glandulous hairs that secrete a sticky substance with a sweet fragrance, reminiscent of honey or molasses. A perennial in its native lands, the plant dies at the first frosts.

Like many summer ornamental grasses, the Melinis minutiflora 'Silver Queen' introduces a breath of freedom and movement to the garden. Its lightness offers a poetic counterpoint to denser foliage or colourful flowerings. It pairs perfectly with the pastel umbels of the ornamental carrot ‘Dara’ and the soft, purple clumps of Pennisetum x advena ‘Rubrum’. In pots, it enhances the silvery foliage of Helichrysum petiolare 'Silver' and Chrysocephalum apiculatum 'Korma'. Used sparingly and precisely, this 'grass' becomes the element that gives the garden a breath, a discreet but essential rhythm.