Are any of these grasses not invasive?

In another thread it was stated that all grasses are invasive. So does that mean all the grasses I have waiting to plant need to be trashed? I have:
PANICUM virgatum Rotstrahlbusch
SORGHASTRUM nutans Sioux Blue
MISCANTHUS Variegatus
CALAMAGROSTIS Karl Foerster

I also have monkey grass (no latin name) and lemon grass that I traded for. None of these are in the ground yet.

You may have misread someone's statement in the other thread. You could link it to here, and we can take potshots at it.

You've been ruminating on all the information recently discovered concerning invasiveness of certain plants. I'd say: use that new knowledge! The Nature Conservancy site (as well as their Weeds Outreach site, linked here: http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/outreach.html) will be quite useful to you, as well as any California native plant society. You are up there in the northern CA hinterlands (finally looked up whereintheheckisHoopa), so what might be a problem is going to be quite different than other parts of a very large state (much less the rest of the US).

As a first guess: I'd vote against the Miscanthus. It has been shown to be a pest in many places, and as I've posted elsewhere, why be a poor example to others? There are probably hundreds of grasses/sedges/rushes/Graminaceae that are native and/or innocuous, that you don't need to take the "it's what everybody else is doing" approach. You could (with some admonition to others) trade the plants you have for some you would rather have.

Break some ground; maybe there's a cottage industry (capitalism -- shudder!) in it.

The first 2 on your list are natives. Number 1 appears to be a cultivar of switch grass, and number 2 appears to be a cultivar of indian grass.

The other 2 I wouldn't plant, because they have a tendency to not play well with others.

I'm not sure if the lemon grass would be a problem in your area, here it's an annual, and is generally grown in pots. Monkey grass I don't know a thing about!

Yes, VibernumValley, I'm ruminating.... I have this love/hate relationship going on with knowledge (lol). I've got to destroy three plants, which will leave big holes. My DH is not going to like the end of foxgloves, specially since this is the first year I have them (and just ordered more!). Out with the buddleia and the centranthus. But now, tossing plants I just purchased....oh my. I was warned not to blow a circuit about this, but I think that's part of my learning process....

Here's the thread, started by Equilibrium, where I read:
DarwinESF
Syracuse, NY
Zone 5a
Mar 20, 2006
11:49 AM

"My wetland biologist friends (plural, I live near an environmental school) have let me know that there are no safe grasses. Because of their pollination and their seed dispersal methods they cannot ever be contained. Further they will mix their genetics (either from cross breeding outright or through splicing that is done by plant viruses creating, in essence, new plants with mixes of genetics) with any/all native plant species (There is no longer any of the ancient wild maize from Mexico in existence that does not have in its genome quite a few genetically engineered components found in new commercial varieties."
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/579220/

I'm a cottage industry sort, so don't think I'm down on capitalism, please. I'm a bonafide treasure hunter who has definately taken advantage of the "buy low, sell high" ideas, but with my own guiding ethic, which includes not creating trash or trashing the envionment just to make a dime. I had a little food manufacturing business once-upon-a-time. The capitalism without guidance, conscience, and responsibility (as may have been alluded to in the other thread where I got a little rowdy) is what I have a problem with. I have, in fact, talked about a little nursery here because I've had a hard time finding the native plants I want (or think I want).

I go out of my way to be different, actually, but being me, it doesn't really take a particularly grand effort...:-) Some folks are simply born lucky. hehehe

I appreciate the input of more knowledgeable folks, even if it boggles my brain for a while.

I see what you mean from the other thread; by the way, has anybody seen/heard DarwinESF lately? Missed his rants; maybe he's in time-out.

I think he meant that there are no safe introduced grasses. I don't think he meant you shouldn't plant any that are truly native to your area. Maybe a dmail to him is in order...

Sorry that I don't even have a text on west coast grasses; I do have one on Native Shrubs of California by Glenn Keator, 1994. It has a nice bibliography and excellent appendices with info on sources, pairings, etc.

There's something about growing your own...that's gardening, right?

And, you MUST have your own Mountain Pride, Mountain Misery, and Mountain Lover (three different species).

VV - are those three species that are all in my head? "Mountain Pride, Mountain Misery, and Mountain Lover (three different species)." (yes, I'm dense - Mtn. Rock head)

Only know the names from looking in Keator's appendix (well, his book):

Penstemon newberryi Mountain Pride

Chamaebatia foliolosa Mountain Misery

Paxistima myrsinites Mountain Lover

These are all native CA shrubs.

Oh, I missed this thread somehow. I don't know DarwinESF however, I had wetlands biologists over here by me and they echoed virtually the same sentiments although they did indicate there were no safe non-native grasses... or sedges... or rushes.

I agree with all that Dodecatheon stated other than that I wouldn't plant the Monkey Grass or the Lemon Grass either. The Monkey Grass is either going to be a Liriope (maybe Liriope muscari or maybe Liriope spicata?) or a Mondograss (Ophiogon japonicus), one or the other and neither of which you want to get stuck getting rid of in the years to come. Both Liriope and Mondograss are perennial and both are drought resistant and can establish in sun or shade. Both share the common name of Monkey Grass.

Neat little article that discusses Liriope-
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20030412/bob9.asp
Mondograss will bring up tons of hits if you add the word invasive to your search engine.

The Lemon Grass has a few other common names; Fever Grass, Citronella Grass, and Barbed Wire Grass to name a few. You're going to be dealing with a Cymbopogon spp. here and regardless of whether some are annuals up in the Midwest by us, there are some that are perennials and they've got a reputation as being thugs down south. They can grow pretty tall in a season and they are capable of becoming a nuisance.

I opted to not plant anything but the natives, and put the lemon grass in a barrel, because I want it for cooking.

Thank you for the information. I'm on invasive overload at the moment.

I'm feeling a little threadbare myself on "invasive overload" as you call it. I feel for you.

: -) (feeble, but appreciative, grin)

I'm with you on the lemon grass! I'll watch mine carefully, but won't give it up...I like the tea too much