Yellow Hedysarum vs Slimstem Reedgrass - TreeTime.ca

Yellow Hedysarum vs Slimstem Reedgrass

Hedysarum sulphurescens

Calamagrostis stricta

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

Yellow Hedysarum
Slimstem Reedgrass

Yellow Hedysarum is a native perennial wildflower recognised for its clusters of bright yellow pea-like blooms. It adds colour to grasslands, roadsides, and open woods. It is also a nitrogen fixer, which helps improve soil fertility. Because of its deep root system, it contributes to slope and soil stabilisation.

The plant provides forage for wildlife and cover for small animals, especially its roots. Its flowers attract pollinators such as bees.

Yellow Hedysarum plays an important role in prairie and foothill ecosystems. It is well-suited for ecological restoration, naturalisation, pollinator gardens, and erosion control projects.

Slimstem Reedgrass is a native perennial bunchgrass commonly found in damp meadows, wetlands, and along streams and lakeshores. It thrives in wet, nutrient-poor soils and shows some tolerance to saline conditions. Typically a bunchgrass, it can also spread by rhizomes to form colonies, making it well-suited for soil stabilization, riparian zone planting, and wetland restoration projects.
Slimstem Reedgrass provides valuable cover for small animals and birds, and its dense growth can even serve as nesting habitat for waterfowl in wetland areas. Its seeds offer forage for wildlife, while the tall stems and floral spikes add texture and visual interest to the landscape.

Yellow Hedysarum Quick Facts

Slimstem Reedgrass Quick Facts

Zone: 2b
Zone: 2a
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.8 ft)
Spread: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: ascending to upright
Growth form: upright, clump-forming
Spreading: seeds - low
Spreading: rhizomes - high, seeds - low


Flowers: creamy yellow, in dense spikes
Bloom time: late spring to summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: sulphur hedysarum, sulphur sweet-vetch, yellow sweet-vetch
Other Names: narrow reedgrass, narrow-leaved reed grass, narrow-spiked reedgrass, slim-stemmed reedgrass