Achnatherum hymenoides
Regular price $0.00 Save $0.00Indian Ricegrass (Eriocoma hymenoides, syn. Achnatherum hymenoides) | 4-inch pot
🌿 Quick Facts: • Native Status: Native to western North America — a Colorado native • USDA Growing Zones: 3-9 • Height: 12-24 inches • Spread: 12-18 inches
🌺 Bloom Details: • Season: Late spring to early summer • Colors: Tan to buff, shimmering golden in low light • Flower Type: Delicate, wide-open airy panicles that catch the light • Bloom Period: May-June
☀️ Growing Requirements: • Sun: Full sun • Water: Very low — exceptionally drought tolerant • Soil: Sandy, sharply drained soil; excellent in poor ground • Spacing: 12-18 inches apart
🦋 Pollinator Benefits: • Birds: Large nutritious seeds are prized by songbirds & small mammals • Native Bees: Wind-pollinated; clumps provide nesting shelter • Butterflies: Larval host for grass-feeding skippers • Beneficial Insects: Standing clumps overwinter beneficial insects
🌱 Plant Care: • Spring: Cut back old growth before new green appears • Summer: No supplemental water needed once established • Fall: Golden seed heads shatter and self-sow • Winter: Dormant; leave standing for winter texture
🤝 Companion Planting: • Perfect paired with:
- Blue Grama
- Sand Dropseed
- Blanketflower
- Sulfur Flower
✨ Unique Characteristics: • Gorgeous shimmering, see-through seed heads • One of the most drought-tolerant natives available • Historically important food grass of the Southwest • Perfect for xeriscape & erosion control • Very low maintenance