Photo credit: Center for Urban Habitats
Characteristics:
This warm season clump grass is known for their rich and various color palette. Starting in the spring, they form mounts of bluish-green blades about 10 inches long and 2/8” wide. Panicles rise from the mounds in the summer, creating the illusion of a reddish-purple cloud hovering above the foliage. These panicles are topped with quarter inch long, flattened spikelets that begin reddish-purple, mature to bronze and end the season in a soft light brown.
Cultivation:
Eragrostis spectabilis prefers full sun and can thrive in poor, sandy soil. This grass is highly drought tolerant. It is possible to grow them around Black Walnut trees. They will reseed to maintain their population, and spread slowly through their rhizomes.
Etymology:
Eragrostis is a combination of the two greek words eros, meaning desire, and agrostis meaning grass. The epithet spectabilis is latin for spectacular or showy.
Eragrostis spectabilis
Purple Lovegrass
Family: Poaceae
Type: Perennial Grass
Height: 1’ - 2’
Spread: 1’ to 2’
Bloom: Soft purple, July to August
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Propagation: Seeds, rhizomes
Tolerates: Drought, Black Walnut, air pollution
