Chasmanthium sessiliflorum
North American native perennial in the Poaceae with sessile leaves, forming about 3-foot-tall clumps with V-shaped spikelets on long panicles that bloom July–October, tolerating moist soils, and commonly used as groundcover or a border plant in the southeastern United States.
Common Names
Longleaf Woodoats
Summary
Longleaf Woodoats, Chasmanthium sessiliflorum, is a native North American perennial grass in the Poaceae family that forms clumps about 0.9–1.0 m tall and wide. Leaves are basal and arranged in two ranks, with flat blades and a drooping habit; the inflorescence is a panicle about 2 ft long with flat, V-shaped spikelets, and flowers are green with brown fruits; the plant is winter-dormant. Native to Virginia and the Southeastern United States, including Florida and Georgia.
Cultivation favors part shade and moist soils with occasional inundation, tolerating clay, loam, and sand with neutral to slightly acidic pH. Propagation is possible from plugs or seed, with establishment slow. In landscape use, it serves as a border plant and for restoration, providing wildlife value as seeds are consumed by birds and other animals. It has low tolerance for long-term saltwater flooding and moderate tolerance to salt spray.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
36 inches
Spread
3 feet
Hardiness Zones
Zones 8a-10a
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally partial shade.
Soil Type
Moist to wet moderately well-drained soils with humus, neutral to slightly acidic clay/loam/sandy soils, calcareous shell-rich soils
Soil Drainage
Moist, well-drained soils.
Soil pH
6.5-7.0
Neutral to slightly acidic
Bloom Color
Brown (including maroon), Green, Greenish white
Bloom Time
Summer
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Slow to establish
Seasons of Interest
Summer
Propagation Methods
Plugs and seed
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts birds
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- (Poir.) Yates
- Publication
- S. W. Naturalist 11: 426 (1966)
- Synonym Of
- Chasmanthium laxum