Elegia capensis
This spectacular architectural plant is probably the most well known restio in cultivation. It has dense clumps of wiry, deep green stems with ferny “leaves” emerging at each node. Picture a pine tree crossed with an asparagus fern all with arching stems! It’s very cool. Ideal in an attractive pot or a protected area of the garden, this species is hardy to minus twelve degrees Celsius and prefers sandy, well-drained soil. E. capensis is endemic to South Africa’s Cape Province.
Common Name: Horsetail Restio
Family: Restionaceae (The Restio Family)
Zone Hardiness: 8b
Light: Full Sun
Height: 4-6'
Width: 2-3'
Primary Bloom Colour: Brown
Secondary Bloom Colour:
Class: Evergreen
Type: Grass
Bloom Time: Summer
Soil Moisture: Average, Moist, Dry
Stem Colour:
Fragrance: No
Berries:
Benefits:
Deer Resistant: Unknown
BC Native: No
Native Habitat: Marshy areas along streams and in seepages, in seasonally wet sandy soil derived from Table Mountain sandstone from the coast to the interior.
Award:
Geographical Origin:
