Hystrix patula

Hystrix patula is a tall ornamental grass ideal for shade, as it is one of the few that thrives and flowers there, even in dry soil. It forms an upright clump with glaucous green leafy stems often tinged with brown-purple and is covered in summer with upright and stiff inflorescences, shaped like brushes, highly appreciated in dried flower bouquets. Playing with backlight, this very beautiful species illuminates the undergrowth. Undemanding and easy to grow, it is satisfied with ordinary soil, even occasionally dry, and naturalises easily in sandy soil.

Hystrix patula, sometimes called Asprella hystrix, and recently renamed Elymus hystrix, is a perennial grass with fibrous rhizomes native to the undergrowth of Missouri, belonging to the family of Poaceae. The plant has an upright habit, formed by a clump of leafy culms, reaching 80cm (32in) to 1m (3ft) in height, with a diameter of about 30cm (12in) at the base. The young spring leaves are glaucous green, slightly shiny, often tinged with purple or brown in summer, dying back in winter. The foliage is deciduous, composed of wide leaves of 7 to 15mm (0 to 1in), flat. Flowering occurs in summer, from June to August depending on the climate, in the form of upright panicles bearing spikes of 8 to 15cm (3 to 6in) long, consisting of awned spikelets arranged in brushes, initially greenish and then golden at ripeness. These inflorescences are appreciated in floristry, for dried flower arrangements. Hystrix patula spreads slowly through its rhizomes, eventually forming small colonies.

Perfect for deciduous understory and wild areas, Hystrix patula brings a light structure and lots of life to shaded areas of the garden. It is also a wonderful perennial that grows on its own, in natural areas, or in a modern garden with clean lines. Just plant it among ferns (Osmundas, Dryopteris filix mas), foamflowers, and small periwinkles, under a mass of deciduous bushes, and watch it filter the oblique rays of light through its delicate flowers. This 'grass' will also be magnificent in the company of dwarf conifers. In an urban garden, it will soften concrete structures.