|
|
Products > Muhlenbergia capillaris 'White Cloud'
|
[2nd Image]
|
 |
|
|
| Category: Grass |
| Family: Poaceae (Gramineae) (Grasses) |
| Origin: Southeast US (North America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: White |
| Bloomtime: Fall/Winter |
| Synonyms: [Muhlenbergia sericea/] |
| Height: 3-4 feet |
| Width: 3-4 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Drought Tolerant: Yes |
| Deer Tolerant: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 0-10° F |
|
|
|
|
Muhlenbergia capillaris 'White Cloud' (White Awn Muhly) - A medium-sized grass forming a clump of narrow blue-green foliage 2 to 3 feet tall and in fall the flower stems rise another foot or more above the foliage holding an airy mass of delicate ivory-white flowers that can last through winter depending on the climate. It is a little larger and stiffer with a more upright habit than the familiar Pink Muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris) and it also blooms a little later. Plant in full sun in a wide range of soils. It is fairly drought tolerant but this southeastern US grass will likely appreciate occasional irrigation in our dry California climate. Noted as hardy to USDA Zone 6 but flowers are apt to last through to spring in Zones 9 and above and it reportedly is resistant to deer predation. A great new grass for a stunning look in mass plantings and with its soft white flowers it combines well with many other plants. This plant was introduced by Superior Trees Nursery of Lee, Florida. We were fortunate to see a planting at John Greenlee's Pomona nursery garden in 2009. John shocked the crowd when he spoke about it at our 2010 open house (what we call Field Day). Our customers have been hounding us ever since and in 2012 we will finally have it. There has long been controversy regarding the Muhlenbergia capillaris in the trade and how it differs from the larger and more southerly restricted Muhlenbergia capillaris var. filipes, that most recently has been elevated to species level as Muhlenbergia sericea in the Flora of North America. We suspect that White Cloud might better fit with this species and if the nomenclature gets determined we will certainly update this listing. For now we continue to list this as others do as a cultivar of Muhlenbergia capillaris. The German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber (1739-1810) named the genus for Gotthilf Heinrich (Henry) Ernst Muhlenberg (1753-1815) who was American born but returned to his ancestral Germany for schooling and later returned to America. He was an ordained Lutheran minister but devoted his free time to the study of the botany. The specific epithet epithet means “hair-like” from the Latin words 'capillus' meaning "hair" and the connecting suffix 'aris' that means "of" or "pertaining to".
This description of this plant is based on our research and our observations of it growing at the nursery, in our own garden and in other gardens. We always appreciate receiving feedback of any kind from those who have any additional information about this plant, particularly if they disagree with what we have written or have additional cultural tips that would aid others growing Muhlenbergia capillaris 'White Cloud' .
|
| |
|
|
|
