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Cannomois grandis (Bell Reed) - A beautiful large restio with stout culms rising from rhizomes to 7 feet tall. The stiffly erect culms have persistent bright reddish-pink sheaths and drooping hair-like foliage. The new growth is particularly showy and male plants have a spectacular inflorescence of hundreds of spherical shiny brown flowers while females produce spindle-shaped spikelets covered with hard bracts.
Plant in full sun to light shade. Requires a well-drained acidic soil and regular irrigation. Is cold hardy at least to the mid 20°'s F. This plant makes a nice specimen plant is conditions it is happy with in the ground but can also be stunning container plant.
Cannomois grandis is native to streams or wet areas in the mountainous Cape region of South Africa (from Clanwilliam to Humansdorp) from sea level up to around 5,000 feet. Although this is arguably one of the most stunning of the restios, soil requirements limit this plant to container growing for most locations in California. The name for the genus is derived from the Greek words 'canna' meaning "cane" and 'omoios meaning ‘similar’. The specific epithet is Latin meaning "large", "tall" or "full grown" in reference to this plant's large growth form. The common name bell reed or bellreed is a name coined by the cut flower industry for the sprays of small bell-shaped flowers on male plants.
The Current revision of the genus Cannomois by Dr. Peter Linder of the University of Zurich indicated that the then monotypic species Cannomois virgata be split into 3 separate species and plants currently grown in California nurseries as Cannomois virgata were renamed Cannomois grandis. The nomenclatural changes being considered would make this taller clumping plant Cannomois grandis while the true Cannomois virgata is a name reserved for a shorter rapidly spreading rhizomatous plant.
We have grown this large restio since 2003 from seed received from Silverhill Seeds in Cape Town, South Africa, We also grow a selected form of this species with particularly large seed that we call Cannomois grandis "Large Seed Form", which we have grown since 2010.
This information about Cannomois grandis displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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