Is Reed Sweetgrass and Sweetgrass the same?

Discussion in 'Plants: Identification' started by Mya Ebanks, Sep 16, 2019.

  1. Mya Ebanks

    Mya Ebanks New Member

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    On my way to work I saw a plant that looks similar to Sweetgrass but I am unsure if it is. It also smells like lemon grass too.

    Here are photos of what they look like...

    pt-1568640484969
    pt-1568640500212
    pt-1568640516427


    Thanks in advance!
     
  2. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    To answer the original question -- that's the challenge of common names. Most often, reed sweetgrass is used to refer to Glyceria maxima. In the western part of North America, sweetgrass usually refers to Hierochloe odorata (also known as Anthoxanthum nitens), but in your part of the world, sweetgrass is Muhlenbergia filipes: https://www.coastalwildscapes.org/r.../Plant Sale Profiles/Muhlenbergia filipes.pdf

    Those photos look most similar to Glyceria maxima to me, but I'm not finding a similar photo that has exactly the same hmmm... randomness to the flowering head, so it might be something else.
     
  3. Mya Ebanks

    Mya Ebanks New Member

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    Thank you for responding! This is quite challenging. I will need to pay attention to the botanical names more. But I found out that it's Chinese Silver Grass Miscanthus sinensis. It's an invasive species but it's used in a lot of gardens and the seeds are still being sold. I see that Sweetgrass in decline and it's sacred to the Gullah Geechee folks so I don't wanna touch it. Do you think Chinese Silver Grass could be a substitute for it? It seems sturdy enough to braid.
     
  4. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    A couple of us here agree that this isn't Miscanthus sinensis (it is very common in cultivation here in Vancouver)--though that species can indeed be woven into baskets and other textiles.
     
  5. Mya Ebanks

    Mya Ebanks New Member

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    Dang so it's no Miscanthus sinensis? Thanks for informing me. So I guess it's set onto Glyceria maxima then. There are too many look a likes.
     
  6. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    I don't think it is that, either. It's a bit strange for an ornamental grass, as the fruiting head isn't particularly ornamental. I'll keep asking around.
     
  7. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Heh, this is kind of funny--I should have picked up on the lemon scent earlier. I think it actually is lemon grass, Cymbopogon citratus.
     
  8. Mya Ebanks

    Mya Ebanks New Member

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    Glyceria maxima smells sweet too from what I read. I'll go back and look further and post some pictures.
     
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