| Common Name |
Indian Ricegrass |
| Latin Name |
Oryzopsis hymenoides |
| Familt |
Poaceae |
| Sunset zones / USDA zones |
/ 4-9 |
| Type / Form |
Grass / M |
| Native Habitat |
Between
0 feet and 9,000 feet in the western U. S. |
| Soil |
Dry, decomposed granite, sand low in organic
content, well drained |
| Water |
Once or twice per month |
| Exposure |
Full sun |
| Height X Width |
2 feet X 1 foot |
| Protective Mechanism |
None |
| Leaves |
Grass |
| Flowers |
Cream or tan flowers in spring, goes dormant with summer
heat, popular for dry flower arrangements |
| Bark / Roots |
|
| Maintenance |
Low |
| Propagation |
Because it grows in such hot dry places,
seed of Indian Ricegrass often needs an afterripening of 1 to 5 years.
Many nurseries have used acid scarification to break the hard seed coat.
To start seed indoors use a hot water soak of the hottest tap water for
72 hours. Sow in to container and cover to depth. Germination will be
very sporadic from 15 to 60 days with many seeds not germinating at all.
Placing container on a north face in the fall for the winter after the
above treatment may give better results, light mulching is desirable.
Seed may also be sown in the desired location. Use quite a number of
seeds per site so you can get results faster. Sporadic germination will
result over several years. |
| Pests and diseases |
Granivors |
| Landscape uses |
Erosion control, ground cover, container, rock garden,
low maintenance, foliage accent, bedding, cut flowers |
| Garden Suitability |
Thornless, Songbird |
| Nature Value |
Birds eat seeds, browse for granivors |
| Native American Uses |
Important flour grain |
| Links |
|
| Images and data |
http://www.hort.usu.edu/PlantGuide/html/turf/IndianRicegrass.htm |
| Images and data |
http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=68 |
| Images and data |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oryzopsis_hymenoides |
| Images and data |
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=achy |
| Images and data |
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/73540/ |
| Images and data |
http://www.plantsofthesouthwest.com/cgi-bin/plantview.cgi?_recordnum=1032 |
| Images and data |
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/62292/ |
| Images and data |
http://www.plantsofthesouthediumwest.com/cgi-bin/plantview.cgi?_recordnum=1032 |
| Images |
http://gallery.bizhat.com/showphoto.php/photo/51918 |
| Data |
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Achnatherum+hymenoides |
| Nursery, images, and data |
http://www.cnplx.info/nplx/species?taxon=Achnatherum+hymenoides |
| Nursery, images, and data |
http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/454.htm |
| Distribution |
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ACHY |
