The seed heads of this elegant grass add seasonal interest to the Mediterranean Beds.
The cosmopolitan grass family, Poaceae, is one of the largest plant families, and is also the most valuable economic plant family, being a source of many food staples including flour and rice. Piptatherum miliaceum syn. Oloptum miliaceum originates in Mediterranean regions and is grown as a fodder crop in north Africa though has established in other regions including the United States and Australia, where it occurs in disturbed sites. It is a clump-forming species whose elegantly arching stems reach 1.5m in height and bear distinct whorls of delicate, branched panicles. Here this species makes an attractive winter addition to the Mediterranean Beds, where it thrives in an open situation in well-drained soil.