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Melica altissima 'Atropurpurea' |
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| | An added bonus: it returns to brighten up the garden in early spring – this photo was taken in early April |
| Common name |
Siberian melic grass |
| Family |
poaceae |
| Life cycle |
perennial (Z4-9) |
| Flowers |
deep purple (late spring) |
| Size |
2' |
| Light |
sun-part shade |
| Cultural notes |
ordinary garden soil |
From seed  |
See details below
detailed seed-starting info below
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| Seed ripens | early July |
The first year I grew this, out of all the seed I sowed, just one germinated - and it looked pretty spindly, too. So we were pleased that the next year, not only did it return, but it looked like a pretty robust plant. Then, late May, all of a sudden these striking dark plum flowerstalks appeared. I think this is one of those plants that is better than expected - a rare treat!
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| | Fading flowers in early August |
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We left this plant behind in our Pennsylvania garden (and wish it well); we don't grow it in Houston. Seed for this plant is included on my seed trade list About my plant portraits
PlantLinks to other web pages about Melica altissima 'Atropurpurea'
Visitors to this page have left the following comments| J O'Hara | Jul 09, 2004 | Hi. You might want to check the sowing instructions in the Thompson & Morgan website for this plant - sounds somewhat fussy, which may be why yours didn't take well.
Cheers |
| Kathryn Yuodsnukis | Apr 19, 2005 | WOW Looks like a show stopper. started mine March in a cold greenhouse about 3inches as of today 4/19. Did take a lot of seeds, but well worth the effort and time. |
| Knud Poulsen | Feb 08, 2006 | Started mine late January by using the Baggy methode. Germination started after 10 days in the refrigerator. Germination rate 80%
Thanks for the info, Knud - the more data, the better. |
| Robert Persinger | Mar 26, 2006 | I had absolutely no trouble starting Melica altissima using the large zip-lock baggy method and placing them in a warm, east facing room. Got scads of shoots within ten days. Whadda I know?
They certainly self-seed nicely for me. Perhaps my original seed was less than perfect. |
| Wukuan Becker | May 18, 2010 | I started seeds several years ago in a seed tray, and the germination rate was excellent, and then transplanted the small plants into gallon pots for eventual resale. Finally, after several years, the plants are now appear ready for the market. |
- Seed from '02 trade. Baggy 70F (1 out of many germinated, 7d)
- Same seed as above. Pot set outside in early March. Germination started in April, continued into May, total of 8 seedlings (out of many seeds)
Most seeds apparently are duds - sow thickly. Letting mother nature do her thing may be better than inside conditions.
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