Drought and salt tolerant grasses, from temperate regions in the northern hemisphere. Often found stabilising dune systems, or growing in stony open sites. We grow one species in our dry garden, as it introduces a strong vertical accent and a very glaucous foliage colour against a darker green background. Many of the other 40 species have foliage with hues of silver, blue and gray. With a rhizomatous habitat, some management is required.
The seeds are eaten by seed-eating birds and the plant by the larvae of several lepidoptera, including the moth called lyme grass (same as the plant), whose caterpillars burrow in the stems of L. arenarius in natural coastal habitats around Great Britain. Attracting them to breed in a coastal garden would certainly not be out of the question. The flower-spikes are sometimes infected with the interesting fungus Ergot, while the more tufted members of this genus provide shelter for beneficial garden insects and other invertebrates.