BOTANICAL: Acorus gramineus

PRONOUNCED: AK-or-us gram-IN-ee-us

COMMON: Japanese rush, Japanese sweet flag. SEEDHEADS LIGHT ZONE May-July Full sun to light shade 6 - 10 SIZE: 6" - 18" x equal spread. TYPE: Ornamental grass SOIL: Suitable for bogs, watersides or marshes. COMMENTS:. Acorus is neither a grass nor a sedge. This variegated grassy perennial is an unusual member of the Arum family. This semi aquatic grasslike perennial has fine textured foliage which grows in tufts from a stout rootstock. The plants have long creeping roots that spread out just below the soil surface. The insignificant flowers, shaped like little horns, are produced in midsummer and more commonly form on plants located in water. Tidy up fading foliage in the fall and lift and divide every 3 or 4 years as the clumps become congested. A. gramineus, Japanese rush plant, 10" - 14". Because this species is a bog plant, it can withstand wet roots. A. gramineus 'Pusillus minimus aureus', Grassy-leaved sweet flag, 3" - 6" x 6" - 1 ft. Grows best in light shade. Do not allow to dry out. A. gramineus 'Minimus aureus', 6" x 6", Dwarf Golden Sweet Flag. This is a golden form which slowly spreads into tufts of tiny golden evergreen grasslike foliage. A. gramineus 'Ogon', Golden variegated sweet flag, 10", shown left, is considered to be one of the better sweet flag cultivars. A. gramineus ‘Variegatus’, 8" - 1 ft., is named for the pleasant, pinelike fragrance that emanates from the entire plant. It has leaves with creamy stripes, and is a variety more widely grown than the plain green species.