Re: Variegated Clumping Palm Grass

At 02:13 PM 2/10/00 +0000, Dave Poole wrote:
Or...  Setaria palmata 'Rubra-Variegata' 

....to be more precise, has been very lightly touched upon here in the
past.  Do any list members in Florida know of a nursery or garden
there centre currently selling this?  I know of someone who is over
looking for unusual plants to bring back to the UK at the moment and
I'd love to be able to point him in the right direction.  The ordinary
species is widely available here, but not its superior, variegated
form and I'm sure the good folks in the US wouldn't want to keep it
all for themselves forever  :-)

Dave Poole

Dave -

Heronswood (http://www.heronswood.com/) lists Setaria palmifolia var. rubra, of which Dan Hinkley sez:
   "This form possesses a very deep burgundy red stem sheath at the base of each bold blade, to 1 ft. in length, 3" wide. Full sun, well-drained soil, or pot culture."

Is this the plant to which you refer?

For those unfamiliar with Setaria palmifolia, here is a mice writeup by Monterey Bay Nursery:
   "Evergreen clumping grass to 3’ tall with a dramatic, tropical look, vaguely resembling a palm or coarse bamboo. Easily recognized by its bold, arching, deeply and perfectly pleated bright green leaves, to 3’ long and 2" wide. Narrow flower spikes appear above the leaves in summer. Very  adaptable, and takes sun or half a day’s shade. Not picky about soil, it is
considerably drought tolerant when established but looks better with at least infrequent watering. It will also tolerate very moist soils, such as those bordering ponds. It is also supposed to be very tolerant of close, directly coastal conditions. It can be invasive in tropical or subtropical areas, spreading by seed. It makes a stunning specimen in a large, ornate container. Keep well fed to maintain deep green leaf color. Damaged by frost, but has survived 15°F. Gramineae/Poaceae."

And here is a photo:
http://montereybaynsy.com/S/setaria2.jpg

Sean O.


Sean A. O'Hara                       sean.ohara@groupmail.com
h o r t u l u s   a p t u s          710 Jean Street
'a garden suited to its purpose'     Oakland, CA 94610-1459, U.S.A.
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