Grassleaf sweet flag is a grass-like perennial from wetlands in East Asia, grown mostly for its narrow leaves and used around ponds, bog gardens and aquariums. Keep its roots moist or submerged and it spreads readily by rhizome.
Family
Acoraceae (Acor family)
Grows as
Grass
Light
Part shade, Full sun
Water
Keep the soil constantly wet or plant in shallow water; it can grow fully submerged.
Soil
Rich, moisture-retentive garden soil or heavy pond mud.
Temperature
Hardy in cool temperate climates; protect from hard freezes in containers.
How easy
Easy
Native range
E. Himalaya to Japan and Philippines
Climate
temperate
About
Acorus gramineus, commonly known as Japanese sweet flag, Japanese rush, grassy-leaved sweet flag, and grass-leaf sweet flag, is a botanical species belonging to the genus Acorus, native to Japan, Korea, and eastern Asia. The plant usually grows in wetlands and shallow water.
The genome of A. gramineus has been published by independent research groups in 2022 and 2023.
How to grow it
Acorus gramineus spreads aggressively by rhizome, creating a nearly-seamless groundcover where conditions are favorable, and it is frequently used around the edges of ponds and water gardens, as well as submerged in freshwater aquaria. It can be propagated by dividing the fleshy underwater rhizome and planting the base in shallow water.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Acorus gramineus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.