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Catapodium rigidum

fern-grass

Poaceae Europe, North Africa, western Asia

Deer Resistant Drought Tolerant Container Friendly

Overview

Catapodium rigidum is a small annual grass forming low tufts 2-12 inches (5-30 cm) tall, with stiff, wiry stems and a rigid, branched seed head. The narrow flat leaf blades are 0.4-2.5 inches (1-6 cm) long and grey-green to green, often flushed reddish in dry, exposed sites. In late spring and summer each stem carries a stiff, triangular, one-sided panicle of small flattened spikelets held on rigid, spreading branches, giving a stiff fern-like outline that dries to pale straw. It is a plant of dry, open, often calcareous ground, growing on bare soil, gravel, rocky banks, old walls, pavements, and waste places, where it tolerates drought and poor fertility. As an annual it completes its cycle quickly, germinating in autumn or spring, flowering, setting seed, and dying within a season. The seed heads persist stiffly after the plant dies, scattering seed into cracks and bare ground. It self-sows freely and can appear as a weed in paving, gravel gardens, and dry borders. The plant has little leafy bulk and is grown, where at all, for the stiff dried seed heads and its tolerance of harsh, dry sites.

Native Range

Catapodium rigidum is native across Europe, North Africa, and western Asia, especially around the Mediterranean. It grows on dry, open, often lime-rich ground, including rocky banks, walls, gravel, and bare or disturbed soil.

Suggested Uses

Grown, or tolerated, in gravel gardens, dry stone walls, paving, and naturalistic dry plantings where the stiff seed heads add texture, sown thinly at 4-6 inches (10-15 cm). Suits hot, dry, low-fertility spots that defeat leafier grasses. The dried heads are sometimes cut for arrangements.

How to Identify

Identified by its low tufts and stiff, rigid, triangular seed heads with spikelets arranged along one side of widely spreading, wiry branches. The small flattened spikelets are grey-green, drying to pale straw, and the whole head holds its shape stiffly. Leaf blades are narrow, flat, and often reddish-tinged in the sun. Its rigid, fern-like panicle on bare dry ground separates it from softer meadow grasses.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height2" - 1'

Width/Spread2" - 6"

Colors

Flower Colors

green

Foliage Colors

green

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~8 weeks

Spring Summer

The grass flowers from late spring into summer, roughly May to July, with stiff one-sided panicles of small spikelets. Seed ripens quickly and the dried heads persist into late summer and autumn. Flowering and seeding are completed within a single season.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

Grey-green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun

Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.0 - 8.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

sand rocky chalk

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Very Low

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grow in full sun on dry, free-draining, poor soil; gravel, sand, rocky ground, and the cracks of walls and paving suit it. The plant tolerates drought and lean fertility and needs no watering or feeding once seedlings are up. Sow seed in autumn or spring on the surface of bare, dry ground, as it germinates in open, uncrowded sites. It self-sows where conditions stay open and dry, so removing seed heads before they shed limits its spread. Rich, moist, or shaded ground produces weak plants and little seed. As an annual it is killed by drought and age rather than cold, restarting from seed each year.

Pruning

No pruning is needed for this short-lived annual grass. Remove or shear off the dried seed heads before they shed if self-sowing is unwanted. Pull spent plants once seed has dropped to clear the ground.