Restio paniculatus
Image: © Tony Rebelo
Description
Restio paniculatus is a tall reed like plant with bright green leaves and stems reaching a height of 3m. It bears clusters of brown grass-like flowers at the terminal ends of the stems. The male and female parts are borne on separate plants, with the female plants bearing small snowy white inflorescences and the male plants bearing less showy inflorescences. The stems arise out of the ground from a strong underground rhizome with the lower parts of the stem looking somewhat bamboo-like.It can tolerate a moderate degree of frost and enjoys being planted in full sun with its roots in water. Care should be taken when transplanting young plants out of the bag into the garden as undue disturbance and especially root desiccation can be fatal.
Propagation instructions - seeds
Plants may be propagated from seed which can be sown in spring or autumn . The seed needs to be sown on a fine sandy medium and kept consistently moist throughout the germination period. Seed germination can be increased by the use of watering with water treated with smoke treated paper which stimulates germination.
Sources and references
Scientific name
Restio paniculatus
Common name(s)
Broom Anglereed