Guide to Common Names of Ornamental Grasses

Japanese forest grass, Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola', shinning with yellow tulips at Chanticleer Gardens in April.

I am learning a ton about ornamental grasses this summer by reading a book called Designing with Grasses by Neil Lucas. While in the middle of the book though, I started to feel that my head could just not wrap itself around all of the new grass names.  Learning the Latin is one thing, and learning the common name is another. Putting them both together was giving me fits!


So I did the only sensible thing and stopped my reading to make a chart to equate the Latin and common names of grasses and grass-like plants by using the really handy grass directory at this end of the book. When I finished I wondered, how many other gardeners might appreciate a short list to help them learn and brush-up on grass names? This is especially important to US gardeners, I think, because we often use both common and Latin names simultaneously or interchangeably. Most of the UK garden literature I read tends to stick with just the Latin.

This list contains the Latin genus name and some common name(s) of grasses and grass-like plants. I did not include every grass family in the directory, but just the ones that seemed most relevant to me considering that I live in hardiness zone 5. If you click on the Latin name, you will open a link to Google images so that you can see photos of the assorted grasses in each genus.

... And if this list is totally overwhelming to you, I made ten of the most common garden ornamental grass names in bold so that you could skip the rest... Or you might still want to look at the photo links.  I hope that you discover some new grasses that you love!

A

Achnatherum (formerly Stipa) = Needle Grasses

Anemunthele = Wind Grasses or Pheasant's Tail Grass

Arundo = Reeds

B

Bouteloua = Grama or Mosquito Grass

Briza = Quaking Grass

C

Calamagrostis = Feather Reed Grasses

Carex = Sedges

Chasmanthium = Wild Oats or Northern Sea Oats

Chionochloa = Tussock Grasses

Cortaderia = Pampas Grasses

D

Deschampsia = Hair Grass

E

Elymus = Wheat Grass or Wild Rye

Eragrostis = Love Grass

F

Festuca = Fescue

H

Hakonechola = Hakone or Japanese Forest Grass
Helictotrichon = Oat Grass
Holcus = Velvet Grass
Hordeum = Foxtail Barley

I
Imperata = Blood Grasses

J
Jarava (formerly Stipa) = Feather Grasses
Jancus = Rushes

L
Leymus = Rye Grass
Luzula = Wood Rush

M
Miscanthus = Silver Grass
Molinia = Purple Moor Grass
Muhlenbergia = Pink Muhly

N
Nassella (also formerly Stipa) = Needle Grasses

O
Ophiopogon = Mondo Grass

P
Panicum = Switch Grass, Panic Grass or Millet
Pennisetum = Fountain Grasses
Phalaris = Reed Canary Grass
Phragmites = Reeds
Poa = Blue Grass

S
Saccharum = Sugar Grass
Schizachrium = Bluestem
Schoenoplectus = Bulrushes
Sesleria = Moor Grass
Sorghastrum = Indian Grass
Sporobolus = Dropseed Grasses
Stipa = Feather Grass

T
Typha = Cattails

U
Uncinia = Hook Sedge

Dwarf Silver Grass, Miscanthus sinensis 'Dixieland', in our Driveway Garden with the Drumstick allium, Allium sphaerocephalon.

For more information, read my book review on Designing with Grasses by Neil Lucas.