In 2021, Patrick McMillan brought us seed of a desert prairie grass that he’d seen on an expedition to West Texas at elevations of over 8,000′. Below is the photo Patrick shared of Elionurus barbiculmis in the wild. Although interesting, it’s doesn’t seem overly ornamental. We grew out a number of seedlings and planted them in the garden for trial. All formed tight evergreen clumps, but only one had much in the way of substance.

The single clone that was dramatically more robust and showy is below, and now has been christened Elionurus barbiculmis ‘West Texas Winds’. We think this could be an exceptional addition to the drought-tolerant ornamental grass palette, especially considering its tolerance to summer rains and high humidity. We’ll begin the slow process of dividing the original clump this fall.

Patrick is excellent.
Hello! What is the hardiness for this selection?
It was growing at 8300′ elevation, so at least zone 6, and probably
zone 5.
Oh this is beautiful! I wonder if it would be ok with afternoon shade here in Denver? I’d love to try it!
As long as it got 4-6 hours of sun in the morning, afternoon shade should be fine.