Carried by 7 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
Melica torreyana is a species of grass known by the common name Torrey's Melicgrass. There are numerous species in the genus Melica that are native to different parts of the state. This species is endemic to California, where it grows in chaparral, grassland, and other hillside and mountain habitats in the central Coast Ranges and Sierra foothills. It is a perennial grass with dense clumps of stems up to a meter long but often less. The flower cluster is a narrow panicle of small spikelets each under a centimeter long. It does not have a rhizome, and propagation is by seeds, which resemble grains of rice. Near the coast it can tolerate full sun, inland it needs part shade. In the fog belt or with supplemental water it will stay evergeen. It is tolerant of both poor soil and garden conditions, making it useful for gardens in the central part of the state. For other regions, see other species of Melica.
Grass
1 - 3 ft Tall
1 ft Wide
Fountain
Summer Semi-deciduous
Cream, Green, Purple
Spring, Summer
Full Sun, Partial Shade, Deep Shade
Very Low
Max 2x / month once established
Easy
Tolerates cold to -10° F
Medium
Tolerates a variety of soils.
Tolerates serpentine soil..
Soil PH: 5.5 - 7.0
For propagating by seed: No treatment. Best sown in fall.
5, 7*, 9, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*
Chaparral, coastal sage scrub, woodlands and evergreen forest along the central coast and Sierra foothills, at elevations from sea level to 3, 000 ft.
Foothill Woodland, Mixed Evergreen Forest
Use with trees, shrubs and herbs appropriate to the garden location and the plant's native range, such as Buckeye (Aesculus californica), Madrone (Arbutus menziesii), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.), Ceanothus spp., Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.), Monkeyflower (Diplacus aurantiacus), Oak (Quercus spp.), Currant/Gooseberry (Ribes spp.), and native ferns
Butterflies and moths supported
0 confirmed and 1 likely
Rural Skipper
Ochlodes agricola