Bottlebrush Grass
Propagation
Seed Treatment and Storage: Store seeds dry. No stratification needed for excellent germination. Self-seeds once established (seeds germinate in fall and overwinter as seedlings).
Biocultural Value
The Haudenosaunee used a decoction of leaves and reed grass rootstocks as a medicine to soak corn seeds before planting.
Wildlife Value
Bottle brush grass flowers are wind-pollinated. Several insects feed on the foliage, including caterpillars of the northern pearly eye butterfly (Enodia anthedon) and larvae of leaf-mining moths (Elachista spp.), the golden borer moth (Papaipema cerina), a Scythrid moth (Asymmetrura graminivorella), a leaf beetle (Chalepus walshii), and a fly (Cerodontha angulata). When growing in shaded or partially shaded areas, bottle brush grass and other Elymus spp. may attract two aphid species (Carolinaia howardii and C. rhois), and two leafhopper species (Elymana acuma and Sorhoanus orientalis) during the summer. White-footed mice eat Elymus seeds and grazing animals consume the foliage before the poky seedheads form.
