KSU Turfgrass Information Pages > Ornamental Grasses

Ornamental Grasses for the Midwest Arranged by Scientific Name.

Genus species	Cultivar	Common Name	Map #	Advertised Height	Hardiness
Andropogon gerardii		Big Bluestem	1	5-8 ft	Zone 3
Anemanthele	Buffalo's Gold	Gossamer Grass (Annual)	69		unknown
Arundo donax	Variegata	Variegated Giant Reed	2	14 ft	Zone 6
Bouteloua curtipendula		Sideoats grama	3	3 ft	Zone 4
Bouteloua gracilis		Blue Grama	4	8-15"	Zone 3
Buchloe dactyloides		Buffalo Grass	5	4-8"	Zone 4
Calamagrostis canadensis		Bluejoint Grass	6	3-5 ft	Zone 3
Calamagrostis x acutiflora	Overdam	Feather Reed Grass	9	3-5 ft	Zone 4
Calamagrostis x acutiflora	Karl Foerster	Feather Reed Grass	8	3-5 ft	Zone 5-9
Carex	Prairie Fire	Sedge	71		Zone 5-6
Carex	Bronco	Sedge (Annual)	70		Zone 6-7
Carex annectens		Yellowfruit Sedge	75	2-3 ft	hardy
Carex buchananii		Fox Red Curly Sedge	11	2-3 ft	Zone 5
Carex cornica	Snowline	Snowline Sedge	12	6"	Zone 5
Carex elata	Bowles Golden	Bowles Golden Sedge	13	1-2 ft	Zone 5
Carex flagellifera	Toffee Twist	Sedge (Annual)	76	18-24"
Carex glauca		Blue Sedge	14	6-12"	Zone 5
Carex grayi		Gray's Sedge/Mace Sedge	15	3 ft	hardy
Carex muskingumensis		Palm Sedge	17	2 ft	Zone 4
Carex muskingumensis	Oehme	Oehme Palm Sedge	16	2 ft	Zone 4
Carex radiata		Eastern Star Sedge	77	1-2 ft	hardy
Carex sp.	Grasshopper	Grasshopper Sedge (Annual)	10	12-16"	Annual
Carex	Bronzita	Sedge	74		Zone 5-6
Carex	Amazon Mist	Sedge (Annual)	73		Zone 6-7
Carex	Red Rooster	Sedge	72		Zone 5-6
Chasmanthium latifolium		Northern Sea Oats	78	24-48"	Zone 4-9
Corynephorus	Spiky Blue	(Annual)	79	8"
Cyperus papyrus	King Tut	Papyrus (Annual)	80	4-6 ft
Elymus virginicus		Virginia wild rye	81	2-3 ft	Zone 3-8
Eragrostis elliotii		Blue Lovegrass	19	18"	Zone 5-9
Eragrostis elliotii	Wind Dancer	Lovegrass	18	2-3 ft	Zone 6
Eragrostis trichodes		Sand Lovegrasss	82	2-4 ft	Zone 5
Festuca cinerea	Dwarf	Fescue	20	10"	Zone 4
Festuca glauca	Elijah's Blue	Fescue	21	6-10"	Zone 4
Festuca obtusa		Wild nodding fescue	84	8-18"	hardy
Festuca paradoxa		Clustered Fescue	22	2-4 ft	hardy
Festuca	Festina	Fescue	83
Hakonechloa macra	Aureola	Golden Variegated Hakone Grass	23	1-3 ft	Zone 4
Hystrix patula		Bottlebrush Grass	24	2-5 ft	Zone 3
Isolepis cernua	Live Wire	Fiber Optic Grass (Annual)	85	6-12"
Juncus brachycarpus		Whiteroot Rush	86	3 ft	hardy
Juncus ensifolius	Starhead	Rush	87
Juncus inflexus	Blue Arrows	Rush	25	3 ft	Zone 5-9
Juncus pallidus	Javelin	Juncus Javelin (Annual)	26	5 ft	Zone 7
Juncus tenuis	Blue Dart	Common Rush	88	36"	Zone 5
Koeleria cristata		Junegrass	27	2-6"	Zone 3-9
Koeleria glauca	Blue Sprite	Sprite Koeleria	90	10-12"	Zone 5
Koeleria	Coolio	Junegrass	89	10-12"	Zone 4-5
Leymus arenarius	Blue Dune	Blue Lyme Grass	28	3-4 ft	hardy
Luzula	Lucius	Rush	91		Zone 4-6
Luzula sylvatica		Greater Wood Rush	30	20"	Zone 4
Luzula	Starmaker	Rush	92		Zone 4-6
Luzula	Ruby Stiletto	Wood Rush	29	8-12"	hardy
Lycurus setosus		Wolftail	93	2 ft	Zone 5
Melinis nerviglumis	Savannah	Pink Crystals Ruby Grass (Annual)	31	1-2 ft	Zone 9
Miscanthus	Purpurescens	Autumn Flame Grass	39	4-5 ft	Zone 4
Miscanthus floridulus	Giganteus	Giant Chinese Silver Grass	32	8-15 ft	Zone 4-9
Miscanthus sinensis	Strictus	Porcupine Grass	43	4-9 ft	Zone 5-9
Miscanthus sinensis	Silberfeder	Silver Feather Grass	41	7 ft	Zone 4
Miscanthus sinensis	Rotsilber	Red Silver Maiden Grass	40	5-7 ft	hardy
Miscanthus sinensis	Gracillimus	Maiden Grass	35	7-10 ft	Zone 5
Miscanthus sinensis	Varigatus	Variegated Maiden Grass	44	7 ft	Zone 5
Miscanthus sinensis	Silberfeil	Silver Arrow Grass	42	7 ft	Zone 5
Miscanthus sinensis	Morning Light	Maiden Grass	38	7 ft	Zone 5
Miscanthus sinensis	Little Zebra	Dwarf Zebra Grass	37	4 ft	Zone 6
Miscanthus sinensis	Little Kitten	Dwarf Maiden Grass	36	4 ft	Zone 5
Miscanthus sinensis	Adagio	Dwarf Maiden Grass	34	5 ft	Zone 6
Miscanthus sinensis	Little Dot	Dwarf Maiden Grass	33	4-5 ft	Zone 6
Miscanthus sinensis	Yaku Jima	Dwarf Maiden Grass	45	3-4 ft	Zone 5
Molinia arundinacea	Skyracer	Moor Grass	46	7 ft	Zone 4
Oryzopsis hymenoides	Nezpar	Indian Ricegrass	94	18"	Zone 5-10
Panicum virgatum	Dallas Blues	Blue Switch Grass	48	6 ft	Zone 4
Panicum virgatum		Switch Grass	47	4-8 ft	Zone 4
Panicum virgatum	Shenandoah	Red Switch Grass	50	4 ft	Zone 5
Panicum virgatum	Prairie Sky	Blue Switch Grass	49	5 ft	Zone 5
Pennisetum alopecuroides	National Arboretum	National Arboretum Fountain Grass	54	2 ft	Zone 6
Pennisetum alopecuroides	Hameln	Dwarf Fountain Grass	52	1.5-2.5 ft	Zone 5-9
Pennisetum alopecuroides	Little Bunny	Miniature Fountain Grass	53	10-12"	Zone 5-9
Pennisetum alopercuroides	Black Flower Grass	Fountain Grass (Annual)	51	3-5 ft	Zone 8-11
Pennisetum glaucum	Purple Majesty	Ornamental Millet (Annual)	96	4-5 ft
Pennisetum glaucum	Jester	Ornamental Millet (Annual)	95	3-4 ft
Pennisetum orientale	Karley Rose	Oriental Fountain Grass	55	4 ft	Zone 6
Pennisetum purpureum	Princess	Princess Napiergrass (Annual)	56	2-3 ft	Zone 7-11
Pennisetum setaceum	Tender Fountain Grass	Fountain Grass (Annual)	97	2-3 ft
Pennisetum setaceum	Rubrum	Purple Fountain Grass (Annual)	57	5 ft	Zone 9
Pennisetum villosum	Feathertop Fountain Grass	Fountain Grass (Annual)	98	18-36"
Phalaris arundinacea	Dwarf Garters	Dwarf Ribbon Grass	58	12-15"	Zone 4
Saccharum ravennae		Hardy Pampas Grass/Ravenna Grass	59	14 ft	Zone 6
Schizachyrium scoparium		Little Bluestem	60	3 ft	Zone 3
Schizachyrium scoparium	The Blues	Blue Little Bluestem	61	3 ft	Zone 3
Sesleria autumnalis		Autumn Moor Grass	62	12-15"	Zone 5
Sesleria caerulea		Blue Autumn Moor Grass	63	1 ft	Zone 4
Sorghastrum nutans		Indian Grass	64	5-8 ft	Zone 3
Sorghastrum nutans	Cheyenne	Yellow Indiangrass	99	3-5 ft	Zone 4-5
Spartina pectinata		Prairie Cord Grass	100	4-10 ft	Zone 4-5
Sporobolus airoides		Alkali sacaton	101	2-5 ft	Zone 4-9
Sporobolus aspera		Rough Dropseed	65	3 ft	Zone 5
Sporobolus heterolepsis		Prairie Dropseed	66	1-3 ft	Zone 3
Stipa lessingiana	Capriccio	Feather Grass	67	1-2 ft	Zone 6
Stipa	Pony Tails	Feather Grass	102		Zone 5-6
Tripsacum dactyloides		Eastern Gamma Grass	68	8 ft	Zone 5
Zea mays japonica		Ornamental Corn (Annual)	103	4-6 ft