Danthonia spp.

oat grass

Poaceae

Temperate Americas, Europe, and Asia

Drought Tolerant

Native to North America

SunFull Sun

WaterLow · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 4–8

Overview

Danthonia spp. is a genus of tufted perennial grasses in the grass family (Poaceae), with around twenty species native to temperate and montane regions of the Americas, Europe, and Asia; closely related Southern Hemisphere grasses once placed here are now treated separately. Known as oat grasses or wallaby grasses, the plants form slender tussocks 8-40 inches (20-100 cm) tall with narrow, often inrolled, blue-green leaves that may be hairy at the base. The flower heads are open or contracted panicles of plump spikelets, each holding several florets whose lemmas end in a flat, twisted, bent awn and a pair of small teeth. Many species also produce hidden self-pollinated flowers tucked within the lower leaf sheaths, a backup that sets seed even when the open flowers fail. Danthonia spp. is a cool-season grass of poor, acid, well-drained soils, growing on heaths, open woodland, rocky slopes, and lean grassland where richer pasture grasses struggle. The tussocks stay green through mild winters and cure to straw in summer. The genus tolerates drought, low fertility, and grazing, and is used in low-input pasture and grassland restoration, though yields are modest compared with sown forage grasses.

Native Range

Danthonia spp. is native to temperate and mountainous parts of North and South America, Europe, North Africa, and Asia, growing in heath, open woodland, and lean grassland. D. spicata, poverty oat grass, is widespread in North America, while D. decumbens occurs across Europe. Related wallaby grasses of Australasia are now placed in the genus Rytidosperma spp..

Suggested Uses

Danthonia spp. is used in low-input pasture, native grassland restoration, and meadow plantings on poor acid soils, and as an ornamental tussock grass in naturalistic plantings. The tussocks give seed and cover for grassland birds and insects. The genus suits lean, sunny, free-draining sites rather than fertile borders.

How to Identify

Identify Danthonia spp. by its slender tussocks of narrow, often inrolled blue-green leaves and its panicles of plump several-flowered spikelets. Each floret bears a lemma tipped with a flat, twisted, bent awn between two small teeth, a feature shared across the genus. Hidden self-pollinated flowers are often present in the swollen lower leaf sheaths. The bent-awned spikelets and tufted habit separate it from smooth-awned meadow grasses.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height8" - 3'4"

Width/Spread8" - 1'6"

Colors

Flower Colors

green

Foliage Colors

green

Fall Foliage Colors

no change

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~8 weeks

Spring Summer

Danthonia spp. flowers in late spring and summer, generally May to August depending on species and elevation, when the awned panicles emerge and shed pollen on the wind. Hidden self-pollinated flowers within the leaf sheaths can set seed across a longer period. The heads dry to straw colour as the seed ripens.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

green to straw

Foliage Description

blue-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 Range4.5 - 6.5(Acidic)

357912

Soil Types

sand loam rocky

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Low

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

2-3 years

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Danthonia spp. grows in full sun on poor, acid, free-draining soils and tolerates drought, low fertility, and grazing once established. The genus performs on lean ground where fertile soils would favour faster, coarser grasses, so it needs no feeding and declines if fed. As a cool-season grass it makes most growth in spring and autumn and slows in summer heat. Plants establish slowly from seed and are slow to recover from root disturbance once settled. No serious pests or diseases affect the genus. Established tussocks are cut or grazed after seed set to maintain open growth.

Pruning

No formal pruning is needed. Tussocks are cut or grazed once a year, ideally after the seed has ripened, to keep growth open and limit thatch. Dead leaf litter can be raked out in late winter before spring growth.