Chasmanthium latifolium River Mist - Avoine sauvage panachée

The Chasmanthium latifolium 'River Mist', or variegated wild oats, is a perennial grass for moist soil, prized for its bright green foliage streaked with long cream-white stripes, somewhat reminiscent of bamboo. Its late flowering, also decorative, takes the form of flattened, mobile spikes hanging from supple stems, which take on copper tones in autumn. This variety brightens borders and fresh woodland edges, even in light shade. Its dried inflorescences, which remain decorative for several months, can be used in fresh or dried cut flower arrangements.

This variety belongs to the Poaceae family. It is a perennial grass: its leaves and stems dry out in winter, while its rootstock remains alive underground and produces new shoots in spring. The species Chasmanthium latifolium grows naturally from central Canada to north-eastern Mexico, passing through much of the central and eastern United States. It frequents fresh woodland, riverbanks and alluvial plains, which explains its good adaptation to partial shade and moisture-retentive soils. 'River Mist' was discovered in 2004 by Karen R. Stever in a nursery in Alpharetta, Georgia. It was a spontaneous mutation spotted among several hundred young Chasmanthium plants. It forms a clump that is upright and fairly loose, anchored on short rootstocks. These allow the rootstock to spread slowly. At maturity, the plant reaches 60 to 80 cm in height with a spread of 40 to 60 cm. The leaves, narrow and lanceolate, measure around fifteen centimetres. They are streaked with longitudinal green and cream-white stripes. From September to October, branched panicles appear, composed of flat, pendulous spikelets, resembling small scales or suspended oat grains. Initially greenish-white, they take on pinkish, coppery, then beige shades as they dry. The stems and spikes can remain in place throughout winter. The rootstock of this Chasmanthium is very hardy and tolerates clay soils, occasionally waterlogged, as well as lime-bearing soils. It withstands a short dry period once established. This grass can produce spontaneous seedlings; these most often give rise to green plants.

Chasmanthium 'River Mist' can be planted in a partially shaded border, at the edge of woodland or at the foot of deciduous trees, in soil that always remains slightly moist. This wild oats pairs well with Actaea 'Brunette', with its purple-brown foliage, with Hosta 'Halcyon', with its broad blue-grey leaves, and with Dryopteris erythrosora, a fern whose young fronds are coppery. All these plants appreciate the same humus-bearing soils. Near a path, you can pick its spikes before they are fully ripe to make fresh or dried cut flower arrangements.