General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Grass/Grass-like
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Partial or Dappled Shade
Water Preferences: Wet Mesic
Mesic
Soil pH Preferences: Slightly acid (6.1 – 6.5)
Neutral (6.6 – 7.3)
Plant Height: 2 to 4 feet
Plant Spread: 1 to 2 feet
Leaves: Good fall color
Unusual foliage color
Fruit: Showy
Fruiting Time: Late summer or early fall
Fall
Late fall or early winter
Winter
Flower Color: Green
Bloom Size: Under 1"
1"-2"
Flower Time: Late spring or early summer
Summer
Late summer or early fall
Underground structures: Rhizome
Uses: Provides winter interest
Erosion control
Groundcover
Dried Flower
Will Naturalize
Propagation: Seeds: Stratify seeds: 2 months cold moist treatment
Propagation: Other methods: Division
Pollinators: Wind
Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger

Image
Common names
  • Northern Sea Oats
  • Inland sea oats
  • Indian Woodoats
  • Spangle Grass
  • Upland Sea Oats
  • Upland Oats
  • Flathead oats
  • River oats
  • Wild oats
  • Indian wood oats
  • Broadleaf Uniola

Photo Gallery
Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor
Date: 2018-08-30
Poaceae:  Chasmanthium latifolium, Northern or inland sea oats, a

Date: 2021-09-17
Location: Alabama Gulf Coast (z8b)
Date: November
Location: Fairfax, VA | October 2022
Date: 2022-09-29

Date: 2021-09-17
Location: Lilburn, GA
Date: 2023-10-18
Location: Missouri Botanical Garden in St Louis
Date: 2024-02-14
Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2016-11-23
These seedlings are a few weeks old.
Location: Fairfax, VA | June, 2022
Location: Canton, OH
Date: 2017-10-17
Location: Kyle
Date: 2018-09-07
Love to see the dangling "coins" (seed heads)
Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2018-06-03

Date: 2021-09-18
Location: Mississippi
Date: 2013-08-08
Location: Fairfax, VA | September, 2023
Date: 2023-08-26
Location: My Garden
Date: 2012-09-27
Photo by LynneHTx
Location: In my back yard in Holladay, UT
Date: Summer
Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium), before seeds are rip
Location: Fairfax, Virginia (Outdoors)
Photo by sedumzz
Photo by sedumzz
Location: NC| June, 2022
Date: 2022-06-14

Date: 2014-09-21
Photo courtesy of: Tom Potterfield
Location: Chadds Ford, PA at Brandywine Art Museum
Date: 2018-08-10
large mass
Location: Chadds Ford, PA at Brandywine Art Museum
Date: 2018-08-10
corner planting on deck
Location: Sandy, Utah, United States
Date: 2021-10-28
Location: Fairfax, VA | April, 2023 
Date: 2023-04-09
Location: Canton, OH
Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2018-03-13
Location: Kyle, Texas
Date: 2018-05-15
Easy to grow grass that likes the shade--attractive seed heads
Location: Fairfax, VA | April, 2023
Photo by Hamwild
Location: Fairfax, VA | June, 2023
Date: 2023-06-26
An army of babies, I'll have to transplant these into plugs and t

Date: 2016-06-30
Brownstown Pennsylvania
Location: Illinois, US
Date: 2009-08-11
Photo by sedumzz
Location: IL
Date: 2009-07-03
Location: Indiana  Zone 5
Date: late fall

Photo Courtesy of Prairie Nursery. Used with Permission
  • Uploaded by Joy

Photo Courtesy of Prairie Nursery. Used with Permission
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: In my back yard in Holladay, UT
Date: Summer
Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium)
Photo by treehugger

Photo courtesy of: Tom Potterfield

Photo courtesy of: Tom Potterfield

Photo courtesy of: Tom Potterfield

Photo courtesy of: Tom Potterfield
Location: Clinton, Michigan 49236
Date: 2017-11-02
Chasmanthium latifolium, 2017, [Northern Sea Oats], -, 3x2 ft #Pe
Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2015-08-08
Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2016-10-26
Location: Medina Co., Texas
Date: September 2006
Inland Sea Oats, dried seeds
Location: All pictures taken in/on my gardens/greenhouse/property
Date: 2018-07-18
Location: Alabama Gulf Coast (z8b)
Date: March
Location: Cheslen Land Preserve in southeast pennsylvania
Date: 2015-07-30
a mass of the grass
Location: Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2011-08-19
grass along fence in backyard
Location: Washington
Date: 2016-07-19
Location: Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2011-08-19
summer foliage
Location: Ft Worth Botanic, Tx
Date: 2017-11-18
Location: Ft Worth Botanic, Tx
Date: 2017-11-18
Location: Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2011-10-16
grass with tan seedheads
Location: Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2011-10-16
close-up of seedheads
Location: Test garden sale
Location: Brownstown Pennsylvania
Date: 2016-06-30
Location: central Illinois
Date: 2015-02-20
Photo by Hamwild
Photo by Hamwild
Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5b
Date: 2013-10-04
Location: Southeastern Iowa along the Mississippi River
Date: 2015-11-22
Location: Longwood Gardens in southeast PA
Date: 2018-07-10
mass in a parking lot island
Location: In my back yard in Holladay, UT
Date: Summer
Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium)

Photo courtesy of: Tom Potterfield

Photo courtesy of: Tom Potterfield

Photo courtesy of Santa Rosa Gardens. Used with permission.
Location: Medina Co., Texas
Date: September 2009
Inland Sea Oats,
Location: Plymouth Nursery, Plymouth, MI
Date: 2010-05-06
Location: Plymouth Nursery, Plymouth, MI
Date: 2010-05-06
This plant is tagged in:
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Comments:
  • Posted by ILPARW (southeast Pennsylvania - Zone 6b) on Feb 12, 2018 1:39 PM concerning plant:
    Northern Sea-Oats grows in shaded areas with fertile soils from Missouri to New Jersey and southward. It does well in full sun in gardens or part-shade or under the light shade of oaks and hickories or along woodland edges. The seedheads are held above the foliage and begin as green and ripen to tan in September-October and look sort of like shrimp. It begins as a clump but does spread some by rhizomes. I bought one plant in a pot from a native plant nursery and it has been doing well for over 10 years along the fence in part-shade. The only bad trait is that it self-sows a good amount, and the seedlings are hard to dig out in places one does not want them. It is sometimes sold by conventional nurseries also and is occasionally found in gardens and landscapes around, but not one of the big grass items. It is a pretty perennial.
  • Posted by LindaTX8 (Medina Co., TX - Zone 8a) on Jan 18, 2012 4:06 PM concerning plant:
    An attractive native ornamental grass which prefers slightly moist areas, in the wild might be found near creeks and rivers or moist habitat, but can tolerate drier areas. Leaves look slightly bamboo-like and will form the attractive green seed heads usually in summer, becoming tan to brownish in the fall. In fall, those can be cut and dried for dried flower arrangements or put in a vase by themselves.
Plant Events from our members
bloominholes2fill On March 15, 2017 Plant emerged
bloominholes2fill On April 1, 2012 Obtained plant
christine2 On May 1, 2008 Obtained plant
variegatagal On May 17, 2023 Potted up
Seedling from Pond West
variegatagal On April 11, 2021 Miscellaneous Event
Looks good
variegatagal On October 9, 2020 Obtained plant
Painted Flower Farm
dnrevel On May 14, 2023 Transplanted
Transplanted one clump of oat grass that was growing under the large sage plant in the mailbox garden. In one year, all the oat grass has multiplied into healthy clumps over the winter and spring, from the original small clumps. Looking forward to summer and fall when they form their seed heads.
dnrevel On January 17, 2023 Entered Dormancy
Great first year growing this plant.
dnrevel On February 2, 2022 Seeds sown
Winter Sown in jug.
LyraLu On September 25, 2021 Transplanted
planted 3 under silver maple
pinetastic On May 28, 2023 Obtained plant
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