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Miscanthus sinensis

Common name:	Eulalia	Family:	Gramineae
Author:	Andersson.	Botanical references:	58, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.
Habitat:	Moist meadows on slopes in lowland and mountains all over Japan[58, 200].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Eulalia japonica[G] M. sinensis f. glaber[G] M. sinensis var. gracillimus[B,G,P] M. sinensis var. variegatus[B,G,P] M. sinensis var. zebrinus[B,G,P] Saccharum japonicum[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Chinese Silver Grass [B], Chinese Silvergrass [P], Zebra Grass [H],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Cyperales. Renamed to Poaceae -- Grass family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China; Japan
Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds	From USDA PLANTS database, Weeds Australia , DEFRA Injurious Weeds
	Listed as noxious/invasive for: USA Invasive.

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 4m by 1m . It is hardy to zone 4 and is frost tender. It is in flower from August to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Wind. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

Stem.

Immature flowering spike[105, 177]. No further details are given.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Anticoagulant; Diuretic; Febrifuge.

The juice of young stems is used to disperse poisons, dissolve blood clots, dissipate extravasated blood and remove inflammation[218].
The plant is diuretic and refrigerant[147, 218].

Other Uses

Biomass; Ground cover.

Being increasingly grown as a source of biomass, trials are currently (1992) taking place on its potential in Britain[K].
Plants form impenetrably dense clumps and when planted close together in drifts make an excellent ground cover[200].

Cultivation details

Prefers a deep fertile loamy soil that does not dry out in summer[200] but succeeds in any ordinary soil that is not too dry[1, 162], in sun or light shade[200].
Fully dormant plants are hardy to about -20°c[187], though the young growth in spring can be damaged by late frosts.
Often grown as an ornamental plant, there are many named varieties[162]. Many forms do not get enough summer heat to flower freely when they are grown in Britain, 'Silberfeder' (syn 'Silver Feather') is the most free-flowering in cooler climates[187]. Plants can be grown as a focal point in lawns, they also succeed in quite coarse grass[233].
The leaves have saw-toothed edges that can cut the unwary gardener, it is best to wear gloves when working with the plant[200].
Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[233].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in spring in a greenhouse and keep moist. Germination should take place within a couple of weeks. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring or early autumn[200]. Very easy, large divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.

Cultivars

'Silberfeder' 'Silver Feather': This is the most free-flowering form of the species in cooler climates[187].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[162] Grounds. R. Ornamental Grasses. Christopher Helm 1989 ISBN 0-7470-1219-9
Cultivation details of many of the grasses and bamboos. Well illustrated.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

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Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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