The U.S. Cool-Season Grass Collection: A Source for Novel Ornamental Grass Germplasm

More than 20,000 accessions of cool-season grasses are maintained in Pullman, Washington at the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System’s Western Regional Plant Introduction Station (WRPIS).  This grass collection, representing 1,032 taxa from 105 countries, is used as a source for education, research, and breeding materials by foreign and domestic scientists and educators. The collection has been underexploited as a source for ornamental plants; only 11 grass seed orders, out of more than three thousand submitted between 1991 and 2010, listed evaluation for ornamental potential as the use for the germplasm. More than 400 cool-season grass accessions are planted in the field for regeneration at the WRPIS annually, and a number of accessions have been observed to have ornamental potential.  Selections with potential ornamental value such as showy seed heads, pleasing form, and interesting foliage, have been made from accessions of Koeleria macrantha, Melica transylvanica, and Eragrostis tef, as well as other taxa.  As the desire for low-input landscape plants increases and the ornamental grass industry becomes more economically important, the US cool-season grass collection may be an important source of novel ornamental germplasm for the nursery trade.