Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Grass
Cactus or Succulent
Origin
Southwestern United States, Texas, Mexico
Southwestern United States, Mexico
Types
Nassella tenuissima
Dasylirion acrotrichum, Dasylirion berlandieri, Dasylirion cedrosanum
Number of Varieties
156
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
driveways, open Woodlands, Roadsides, Rocky areas, Slopes, tree wells
Desert, Dry areas, Rocky areas
USDA Hardiness Zone
6-1012-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
11 - 4
12-10
Sunset Zone
2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Rosette/Stemless
Plant Size
Minimum Height
50.80 cm17.78 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
55.90 cm10.16 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
Yellow
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
-
Tan
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Yellow green, Tan
Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green, Yellow green, Gold, Tan
Green, Blue Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Linear
Narrow
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Slow
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer
Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not water excessively
Does not require lot of watering, Water occasionally
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Requires little pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
Apply 12-6-6 fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Fertilzer with low nitrogen content
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Fine
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Bees, Butterflies
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Landscape Designing, Showy Purposes, small hedge
Ground Cover
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
-
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
-
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
useful as a ground cover
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower / Everlasting, Container, Foundation, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall
Container, Dried Flower, Everlasting, Feature Plant, Rock Garden, Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
NASSELLA tenuissima
DASYLIRION berlandieri
Common Name
Finestem Needlegrass, Mexican Feather Grass
Blue Giant, Blue Twister, Desert Spoon, Zaragosa
In Hindi
Mexican Feather Grass
Blue Giant Grass
In German
Mexikanische Federgras
Blue Giant Grass
In French
Mexicaine Herbe Feather
Blue Giant Herbe
In Spanish
Pluma hierba mexicana
Blue Grass gigante
In Greek
Μεξικού Αστραπή Grass
Μπλε Giant Grass
In Portuguese
Mexican Pena Relva
Blue Grass gigante
In Polish
Mexican Feather trawy
Błękitny Gigant Trawa
In Latin
Mexicanus Pluma Grass
Giant herba blue
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Liliopsida
-
Order
Cyperales
Asparagales
Family
Poaceae
Agavaceae
Genus
Nassella
Dasylirion
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Monocots
Tribe
Stipeae
-
Subfamily
-
Nolinoideae
Number of Species
11622
1
27800
👆🏻