SafePlants

Tufted Hair-grass (Deschampsia cespitosa)

Tufted hair-grass, also known as tussock grass, is a perennial tufted plant belonging to the grass family Poaceae. It's valued as an ornamental grass and can be found in a wide range of habitats.

Considerations for Pets

• This grass has stiff, rough leaves.
• It forms dense tufts which can develop into large distinctive tussocks.

Considerations for Children

• This grass has stiff, rough leaves.
• It forms dense tufts which can develop into large distinctive tussocks.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Deschampsia cespitosa
• Family: Poaceae (Grass Family) or Gramineae
• Synonyms:
  • Aira caespitosa
  • Aira cespitosa
  • Deschampsia bottnica
  • Deschampsia caespitosa
• Common Names:
  • Tufted hairgrass
  • Tussock grass
  • Salt and pepper grass
  • Fescue-leaved hairgrass
  • Canche cespiteuse
  • Hair grass
  • Golden Dew

Distribution and Habitat

• Tufted hairgrass exhibits a circumglobal distribution, thriving in moist arctic and temperate regions worldwide.
• It is a native grass in Utah's mountains and meadows, commonly found at elevations between 5,000 to 10,000 feet.
• In New England, it primarily grows in fields, roadsides, and disturbed sites, while in Western North America, it dominates subalpine and alpine meadows.
• It can also be found in damp grasslands, providing cover for birds and mammals.
• It can be found from Greenland to Alaska, south through the prairies and mountains of North America.
• Atlantic tufted hairgrass meadows are found in Coarse grasslands of Atlantic and sub-Atlantic Western, Northern and, locally, western Central Europe and northern Eastern.
• It grows in northern, southern and central California.

Ecological Role

• Tufted hairgrass is used for restoring moist to seasonally wet areas and also for mine tailings reclamation.
• It serves as a food source for wildlife.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

• Tufted hair-grass is a large, tussock-forming grass.
• It is a cool-season, semi-evergreen or evergreen, clump-forming perennial bunchgrass.
• The grass emerges green and turns gold late in the season.
• It forms neat, dense tussocks of narrow, leathery, dark green leaves.
• Leaves are thin (3-5 mm wide) with strong parallel ridges and furrows on the upper side.
• It is a densely tufted perennial with numerous tightly grouped stems, growing in clumps up to 120 cm tall.
• It can be deciduous or evergreen, tufted grasses with linear or thread-like leaves and open flowering panicles in summer.
• It features fine, hairlike flowers that rise above the plant, creating a cloud-like appearance.
• The grass has shallow, fibrous, and dense roots.
• Panicles feature whorled spreading branches.

Quirky Facts

• Tufted hair-grass was once used to form the roof of one of the oldest thatched cottages in England.
• In December, cattle and sheep often avoid eating it, leaving tussocks of the grass in fields.
• Tufted Hairgrass is a mine tailings reclamation.