feather grass

American  

noun

1. any American grass of the genus Stipa, having a feathery appendage.

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feather grass British  

noun

1. a perennial grass, Stipa pennata, native to the steppes of Europe and N Asia, cultivated as an ornament for its feathery inflorescence

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Etymology

Origin of feather grass

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

Roomy garden placement, say at 11 and 3, ensures that the two specimen performers, the manzanita and the giant feather grass, won’t upstage one another.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 7, 2023

Nassella tenuissima, or Mexican feather grass, grows low, finely tufted green ponytails that flower into fluffy flaxen strands of 2 feet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 5, 2018

Many front lawns now feature undulating feather grass and pots filled with spiny succulents, neither of which need much water.

From New York Times • Oct. 26, 2015

As to invasives, "the big one on the shelf for us was the Mexican feather grass," Parker says.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 3, 2015

A night hawk swooped and circled above the tall "feather grass" by the margin of the creek.

From Keziah Coffin by Lincoln, Joseph Crosby