A native perennial with long slender stems from 2-4 feet tall, growing singly or in small bunches. Evenly spaced leaves up to 1/2 inch wide are overshadowed by the showy, open 4-6 inch flower spikes. Paired spikelets, each with 2-4 florets bearing awns up to 1 1/2 inch long, come off the central stem at right angles (B) creating the “bottlebrush-like” flower cluster responsible for its common name. The mature spikelets drop, leaving a “naked” stem (E) which often persists through the winter.
Rich soil in upland or lowland woods. Bottlebrush Grass is common in the uplands and on the floodplain at both Fontenelle Forest and Neale Woods. There are particularly good displays on the Fontenelle Forest floodplain along Cottonwood Trail and in the upland savanna restoration site on Hawthorn Trail. The best display at Neale Woods is on Missouri River Ecology Trail near the Rock Creek bridge (D). Bottlebrush Grass flowers from June to August.
The distinctive flower cluster makes this, perhaps, our easiest grass to identify. After the spikelets have dropped, the stem looks very much like Virginia Wild Rye (Elymus virginicus). Close examination reveals Bottlebrush Grass to be more slender, with knobbier projections where the spikelets were previously attached.
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