Brachypodium sylvaticum

Brachypodium sylvaticum, also known as Wood False Brome, is a widely spread perennial grass found at the edge of forests. The plant forms a vigorous, very green tuft even in winter, and offers a bright flowers in graceful panicles throughout the summer. Undemanding but perfectly hardy and adaptable to a wide range of soils and climates, it is an excellent perennial for a natural garden. It readily self-seeds in shady places, in not too dry, even calcareous soil.

Brachypodium sylvaticum is a perennial herbaceous plant with a short, fibrous root system, belonging to the Poaceae family. The entire plant is hairy, from the stems to the leaves, nodes, and flowers. Its foliage, composed of flat, somewhat soft and rough leaves, is dark green and slightly shiny, reaching 1 cm (1in) in width and 90 cm (35in) in length.  It forms a beautiful, flexuous tuft reaching an average height of 60 cm (24in) and a width of 50 cm (20in), slowly widening over time. Flowers appear from June to September. It takes the form of arched floral stems reaching 1 m (3ft) in height, branched in light panicles, adorned with small, yellow-brown, and hairy spikes. The Wood False Brome naturalises very easily in gardens.

Thriving in the dappled shade of deciduous woods, the Wood False Brome is an excellent, very hardy shade plant. As its name suggests, it grows very well under deciduous trees or small shrubs, in occasionally dry shade, including on calcareous soil. Plant it along the edge of woodland or a shaded path, in the company of epimediums, ferns, and periwinkle (Vinca) or geranium macrorrhizum, for example.