| South American Elephant Grass | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| (unranked): | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Subfamily: | Panicoideae |
| Genus: | Miscanthus |
| Species: | M. sinensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Miscanthus sinensis Anderss. |
|
Miscanthus sinensis (Chinese silver grass, Eulalia grass, maiden grass, zebra grass, Susuki grass, porcupine grass; syn. Eulalia japonica Trin., Miscanthus sinensis f. glaber Honda, Miscanthus sinensis var. gracillimus Hitchc., Miscanthus sinensis var. variegatus Beal, Miscanthus sinensis var. zebrinus Beal, Saccharum japonicum Thunb.) is a grass native to eastern Asia throughout most of China, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea.
Contents |
It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 0.8–2 m (rarely 4 m) tall, forming dense clumps from an underground rhizome. The leaves are 18–75 cm tall and 0.3–2 cm broad. The flowers are purplish, held above the foliage.
It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions around the world.
It has become an invasive species in parts of North America.[1] However, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of escape or hybridization with extant wild M. sinensis populations with breeding and proper management.[2]
Several cultivars have been selected, including Stricta with narrow growth habit, Variegata with white margins, and Zebrina with horizontal yellow and green stripes across the leaves.
M. sinensis is a candidate for bioenergy production in the United States due to its high yield, even in high stress environments, easy propagation, effective nutrient cycling, and high genetic variation.[3]