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Miscanthus x giganteus - J.M.Greef , Deuter ex Hodk., Renvoize

Common Name Giant Miscanthus
Family Poaceae
USDA hardiness 4-9
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Hybrid
Range Origin: Hybrid of Asian species.
Edibility Rating    (0 of 5)
Other Uses    (4 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (0 of 5)
Care (info)
Fully Hardy Well drained soil Moist Soil Full sun
Miscanthus x giganteus Giant Miscanthus


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Miscanthus x giganteus Giant Miscanthus
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Summary


Physical Characteristics

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Miscanthus x giganteus is a PERENNIAL growing to 4 m (13ft) by 0.6 m (2ft in) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

No synonyms are recorded for this name.

Plant Habitats

Edible Uses

None Known

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


None Known

References   More on Medicinal Uses

The Bookshop: Edible Plant Books

Our Latest books on Perennial Plants For Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens in paperback or digital formats.

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
Edible Tropical Plants

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

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Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
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Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

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Other Uses

Fodder

Carbon Farming Solutions - Industrial Crop: biomass (Crops grown for non-food uses. Industrial crops provide resources in three main categories: materials, chemicals, and energy. Traditional materials include lumber and thatch, paper and cardboard, and textiles) [1-1]. Very few perennial industrial crops have been properly domesticated. Those that have show significantly increased yields. Miscanthus x giganteus is partly domesticated [1-1]. An outstanding biomass producer in temperate climates needing very little nitrogen fertilizer. Most giant Miscanthus is used as biofuel but could also serve as a feedstock for any number of biobased materials [1-1]. Fodder: bank. A possible good candidate for contour hedgerows in agroforestry. An excellent wind break. A popular ornamental - Outstanding fall color with persistent winter interest.

Special Uses

Carbon Farming

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Fodder: Bank  Industrial Crop: Biomass  Management: Hay  New Perennial Crop

Climate: cold temperate to subtropical. Humidity: humid. A sterile (non-invasive) hybrid of M. sinensis and M. sacchariflorus. A very fast growing to 4m in 15 months - but manageable plant. Dry to average water needs - sensitive to too much water on roots. Drought Tolerant. well-drained soil. Full sun. Carbon Farming Solutions - Cultivation: new crop. Management: hay (Describes the non-destructive management systems that are used in cultivation) [1-1].

Carbon Farming

  • Fodder: Bank  Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.
  • Industrial Crop: Biomass  Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels
  • Management: Hay  Cut to the ground and harvested annually. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
  • New Perennial Crop  Most new crops were important wild plants until recently, although some are the result of hybridization. They have been developed in the last few, decades. What they have in common is that they are currently cultivated by farmers.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

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The PFAF Bookshop

Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

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Plant Propagation

Vegetative propagation methods are necessary since giant Miscanthus does not produce viable seed. Rhizomes

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Miscanthus giganteus, Giant miscanthus, Elephant grass, Mammoth Miscanthus

Native Range

Coming Soon

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

None Known. Produces sterile seed.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Miscanthus floridulusPacific Island silvergrass, Giant Eulalia Grass, Giant Chinese Silver GrassPerennial2.5 6-9 FLMHSNM203
Miscanthus sacchariflorusAmur Silver GrassPerennial3.0 7-10 FLMHSNM003
Miscanthus sinensisEulalia, Chinese silvergrass, Silver Feather, Eulalia Grass, Japanese Silver Grass, Ornamental GrassPerennial4.0 4-9 FLMHSNM123

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

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Author

J.M.Greef , Deuter ex Hodk., Renvoize

Botanical References

Links / References

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