Bottlebrush Grass
Elymus Hystrix
Overview
Bottlebrush Grass, Elymus hystrix, is a clump-forming, North American native prairie grass reaching 2-4 feet in height. Its distinctive, bristly seed heads resemble a bottlebrush and appear in mid-summer. Preferring full sun to light shade, it thrives in well-drained soils. Highly ornamental, it adds vertical texture to gardens with minimal maintenance and is beneficial for wildlife, offering habitat and food for birds. Hardy in zones 4-9.
Sun Full, HalfWater Low, MediumZones 4–10Type Grass, Perennial

Culture
- Sun
- Full, Half
- Water
- Low, Medium
- USDA zones
- 4–10
Shape & size
- Mature height
- 2.5–3 Ft.
- Mature width
- 1–1.5 Ft.
Classification
- Type
- Grass, Perennial
- Family
- Poaceae
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Photographs by 7 contributors
- Rob Routledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0 us · source
- Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
- Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
- Gunnar Engan, CC BY 4.0 · source
- Doug McGrady from Warwick, RI, USA, CC BY 2.0 · source
- David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
- Ryan Durand, CC BY 4.0 · source
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