Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Needled or Scaled Evergreen
Grass
Origin
Russia/Siberia
Southwestern United States, Texas, Mexico
Types
Shrub
Nassella tenuissima
Number of Varieties
315
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cold Regions
driveways, open Woodlands, Roadsides, Rocky areas, Slopes, tree wells
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-76-10
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
7-1
11 - 4
Sunset Zone
A3, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17
2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Spreading
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2,330.00 cm50.80 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
120.00 cm55.90 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Dark Green
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Copper
Green, Yellow green, Tan
Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Sienna, Burgundy, Bronze
Green, Yellow green, Gold, Tan
Shape
Leaf Shape
Scale-like imbricate
Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Slow
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
-
Early Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Shade areas
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Semi-hardwood cuttings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Water during dry weather, Water occasionally
Do not water excessively
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Requires little pruning
Fertilizers
slow-release fertilizers
Apply 12-6-6 fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
-
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Shade areas
Drought
Flowers
Insignificant
Showy
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
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
-
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Cottage Garden, Ground Cover
Landscape Designing, Showy Purposes, small hedge
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
-
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
-
Part of Plant Used
-
Leaves
Other Uses
Used for bedding in gardens
Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Alpine, Edging, Feature Plant, Foundation, Groundcover, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall
Dried Flower / Everlasting, Container, Foundation, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall
Botanical Name
MICROBIOTA decussata
NASSELLA tenuissima
Common Name
Microbiota, Siberian carpet cypress, Russian arbor vitae
Finestem Needlegrass, Mexican Feather Grass
In Hindi
माइक्रोबायोटा
Mexican Feather Grass
In German
Mikrobiota
Mexikanische Federgras
In French
microbiote
Mexicaine Herbe Feather
In Spanish
microbiota
Pluma hierba mexicana
In Greek
μικροχλωρίδας
Μεξικού Αστραπή Grass
In Portuguese
microbiota
Mexican Pena Relva
In Polish
mikroflory
Mexican Feather trawy
In Latin
Microbiota
Mexicanus Pluma Grass
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Pinopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Pinales
Cyperales
Family
Cupressaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Microbiota
Nassella
Clade
-
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
Stipeae
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
1116
1
27800
👆🏻