Chinese silvergrass
Miscanthus sinensis · Poaceae
Chinese silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensis) is a perennial grass or grass-like plant in the Poaceae family. It is introduced to North America rather than native. USDA records it as hardy in zone 5 and warmer, down to about -18°F.
⚠ Invasive or noxious status. USDA lists this plant with an invasive or noxious weed status somewhere in its range. Check your state's noxious weed list before planting it — in some states it is illegal to sell or plant.
Both flags are quoted from USDA PLANTS, not inferred.
At a glance
| Type | graminoid USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | introduced USDA |
| Mature height | 5 ft USDA |
| Light | part-shade USDA |
| Water need | medium USDA |
| Growth rate | moderate USDA |
| Soil pH | 5–7.5 USDA |
| Bloom | July USDA |
| Flower color | Yellow USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 5 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | herb-layer Derived |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It grows in partial shade. USDA rates it as having moderate water needs. Its drought tolerance is rated medium. It will not tolerate waterlogged soil — USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance as none. It is recorded on soils from pH 5 to 7.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 5.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 5 ft, making it roughly waist to chest height. It grows at a moderate rate.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of July. Flowers are yellow.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is red, medium in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. It carries conspicuous autumn colour. Its fruit or seed heads are conspicuous, extending interest past flowering. Its active growth period is spring and summer. USDA rates its lifespan as moderate.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 32 to 65 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 160 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 14 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
It takes readily from seed, cuttings, bare root, container stock and sprigs. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period. Its seed spreads at a slow rate. It spreads vegetatively at a slow rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals rate it barely palatable — the sourced basis for calling it deer-resistant. Its fire tolerance is rated high. Its growth form is recorded as bunch.
Role in a guild
Herb layer. In a layered planting this is the herbaceous middle — perennials and grasses that fill the space between ground cover and shrubs. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Similar role and hardiness
- Lyall's angelica Angelica arguta
- broomsedge bluestem Andropogon virginicus
- Columbian sedge Carex aperta
- prickly bog sedge Carex atlantica
- Short's sedge Carex shortiana
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol MISI, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Invasive status, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
Find more plants for your zone with the Plant Finder.