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Horse Goldreed

Elegia equisetacea

Also called Horsetail Goldreed

Horse Goldreed
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0

A reed-like perennial from the fynbos of South Africa's southwestern Cape, grown for its tall, leafless, green stems that look like horsetails. It does best in full sun with well-drained soil and little summer water.

Family
Restionaceae (Restion family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water regularly while establishing, then allow the soil to dry between waterings; it tolerates dry summers once established.
Soil
Free-draining, sandy or gritty soil; poor, acidic soil is fine.
Temperature
Mild to warm conditions suit it; protect from hard frost.
How easy
Easy
Native range
SW. Cape Prov.
Climate
subtropical

About

Elegia equisetacea, the horsetail restio or broom reed, is a species of reed‑like flowering plant in the family Restionaceae, native to the southwestern Cape Provinces of South Africa. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit as an ornamental.

Other Elegia plants

Broom Reed · Elephant Deckreed · Cape Deckreed

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Elegia equisetacea 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.

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