Plants With Long & Thin Leaves

Ornamental grasses and conifers are two groups of plants that characteristically feature long, thin leaves. Grasses such as Miscanthus giganteus grows to 25 feet tall, with leaves only 1 inch wide. The leaves on the Italian stone pine can reach up to 12 inches long. Leaves typically vary in length and width according to the climate and light conditions of a plant’s native habitat.

The shoestring Acacia (Acacia stenophylla) native to Australia, has long, silvery-green leaves about ? inch wide. It grows to 40 feet and is hardy to 18 degrees Fahrenheit. Palms such as the Canary Island date palm, have long, thin, arching leaves made up of thin fronds. It grows to 60 feet and is hardy to 25 degrees. Willows also produce long, thin leaves on weeping branches.

Pineapple broom (Cystisus battandieri) is native to the mountains of North Africa. It grows to 12 feet tall with needle-like leaves about 12 inches long. Its flowers are strongly scented with a pineapple fragrance. It is hardy to minus 5 degrees. The common butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii) has long, narrow gray leaves.

Perennials such as daylilies, yucca, New Zealand flax (Phormium spp.) angel’s fishing rod (Dierama spp.) and irises all feature long, thin, upright leaves. Siberian irises grow in a clump of narrow, grasslike foliage topped by deeply colored blooms. Bulbs such as Fritillaria have long, narrow leaves on thin stalks, and many common bulbs, such as daffodils, scilla, snowdrops and hyacinths have long, thin, upright leaves.

Tropical plants with long, narrow foliage commonly grown as houseplants include spider plant, with arching green-and-white striped leaves; snake plant, with stiff, upright leaves with a pointed tip; and dracaenas, with long, arching leaves in green or red.