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| Category: Grass-like |
| Family: Restionaceae (Restios) |
| Origin: South Africa (Africa) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Brown |
| Bloomtime: Summer |
| Height: 4-6 feet |
| Width: 6-8 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Seaside: Yes |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 15-20° F |
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Thamnochortus insignis (Thatching Reed) - This tall restio grows to 4 to 6 feet tall with older stems that arch over to create a mass of foliage 6-9 feet in diameter. Plant in full sun and give it room to grow. It is a very durable plant that will tolerate drought (once established), coastal seaside conditions and moderate frost; we have even received a report from a gardener growing it in Redding California where it has tolerated temperatures as low as 15°F. Like most restios it prefers acidic soil but it will grow in most any soil as long as it drains fairly well. When grown from seed the young first culms are small, finely divided, and curly looking; the tall, single culms appear when the seedlings are nearly a year old. Male and female plants are separate and very similar when they are not flowering which occurs in mid-summer (July-August) and female plants produce large amounts of seed from October-November. The plants are ornamental year-round but particularly attractive a couple months prior to flowering through several months after producing seed. Like Chondropetalum this plant is used for roof thatching and because of its long culms is actually the most common species used for this purpose. The culms reportedly can be harvested every five years and last up to 30 years on a typical roof and even longer in drier areas. Thamnochortus insignis comes from the coastal forelands from Bredasdorp to Riversdale, in South Africa. The name for the genus comes from the Greek words, 'thamno' meaning "bush" and 'chortus' meaning "grass" in reference to the bushy nature of these grass-like plants. The specific epithet is Latin meaning " remarkable", "noted", "distinguished" or "extraordinary". We have grown this great plant since first getting seed of it from Silverhill Seeds of South Africa in 2004.
Information displayed on this page about Thamnochortus insignis is based on our research conducted about this plant in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about it as it has grown in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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