Saturday, September 19, 2015

Erianthus ravennae 'Hardy Pampas Grass'

My Erianthus ravennae 'Hardy Pampas Grass' is about to bloom! It's growing a tall central stalk that is already about 8 or 9 feet tall. In the photos below for reference the fence is 4 feet tall. Wow!

Erianthus ravennae 'Hardy Pampas Grass'
Erianthus ravennae 'Hardy Pampas Grass' with a tall stalk but not yet blooming


The central stalk has nodes along the way up that look like bamboo, I'm assuming to provide rigid structure to hold this massive stem up so high into the wind. It sways constantly in the breeze. Think of the amount of resources going into producing these 2 tall plumes (there is another smaller one on the way).

Erianthus ravennae 'Hardy Pampas Grass'
I'm in love with the little hairs at each node

Erianthus ravennae 'Hardy Pampas Grass'
A total of 2 fruiting stalks are growing, you can tell because they are much thicker and have a red hue


Update 9-27-2015: The seed plume is blooming on top of the long stalk, slowly opening and drying in the sun. I used my telephoto lens to try to get a detail picture of the top from side view because it's out of reach for an iPhone photo.

Hardy Pampas Grass
Hardy Pampas Grass blooming with it's seed plume opening

Hardy Pampas Grass
Hardy pampas grass in the morning sun

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