Thamnochortus pluristachyus - Restio

The Thamnochortus pluristachyus is part of those South African perennials with an unpronounceable name that are more commonly called Restio. This one, becoming rare in its native country, not widely spread in Europe, is a very beautiful perennial plant forming a very vertical tuft and resembles a rush, flexible, with stems of a beautiful bright green adorned with fine branches mimicking a delicate foliage. Its growth, evergreen, is adorned with large spikes, whose seeds turn brown at the end of summer beautifully capturing the afternoon sun. This species, which prefers moist soils, is well adapted to a mild and humid oceanic climate. It will find its place in slightly wild flower beds, but also in a contemporary design. It can also be planted in a large pot on the terrace, like a grass.

The Thamnochortus pluristachyus is a botanical species endemic to a very small region located in the southwest of the Cape Province in South Africa. It grows there in the cracks of cliffs made of coral limestones, along the Atlantic Ocean. The Cape Province is surrounded by a vegetation formation called fynbos, a kind of heathland swept by the wind and regularly ravaged by fires. In this Cape region, 3 major plant families are gathered: the proteas, the heathers, and the restios, which include the Thamnochortus pluristachyus.

It is a creeping rhizome perennial herb with rather slow growth. Its habit is erect, dense, and very vertical. It will reach a height of 1.5 meters (5 feet) when flowering, 1 meter (3 feet) for the foliage, and a diameter of 50 cm (20in) at the base (70 cm (28in) for the crown) in open ground under European climates. In pots, its dimensions will be slightly smaller. It develops pretty, slightly twisted, thick stems. Along its stems, at regular intervals, at the level of light brown nodes, thin feathery branches are implanted, gathered in small clusters. Flowering takes place in June-July, in the form of tall brown, cylindrical panicles of spikelets, more developed on the male inflorescences. It is followed by the formation of fruits called achenes.

The Thamnochortus pluristachyus is an enigmatic plant, still very rarely planted in Europe. From its origins, it can be deduced that it likes or prefers soils rich in limestone and should acclimatize in our seaside gardens. Some specialists who cultivate this plant claim that it also prefers moist soils and a very sunny exposure, and that it withstands short frosts of around -12°C (10.4°F) if planted in a well-draining soil. It will therefore be used without restriction in coastal gardens, preferably along the oceanic coasts which are wetter than the Mediterranean. It will be beautiful by a water feature or near a swimming pool, accompanied by a pampas grass, cannas, Dierama, a hardy palm (Chamaerops humilis, Trachycarpus fortunei), or even kniphofias. It can be used in a very decorative way in a pot on the terrace, to be stored in cold climates. In open ground in mild climates or in pots elsewhere, it is always successful when paired with proteas, shrubby heathers, Leptospermum, and callistemons.