Purple Top Tridens flavus
Other Common Name(s):
Other plants called Purple Top:
- Phonetic Spelling
- TRY-dens FLA-vus
- Description
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A native ornamental warm-season bunchgrass in the Poaceae family. It has attractive reddish-purple seed heads that appear in the late summer and persist into fall and are especially impactful when planted en masse. It is a salt-tolerant grass and is often seen growing along roadside ditches. Its seed heads are oily, hence the common name grease grass, and are a food source for birds and mammals.
Purple Top is a perennial warm-season grass that grows 3-5 feet tall and 3 feet wide. It has a rich hue to its foliage as it develops each spring. Shortly after the foliage matures, the flower spikes develop as purple panicles that bloom from August to November. Deer resistance is high.
This is a larval host plant that supports various skipper larvae and the Common Wood-Nymph (Cercyonis pegala) which has one brood from late May to October. Adult Common Wood-Nymph butterflies feed on rotting plant matter. This species is also the larval host of a number of butterflies and moths, including Polites origenes (Crossline Skipper), Pompeius verna (Little Glassywing), and Poanes viator (Broad-winged Skipper). The plant provides excellent cover year-round.
Seasons of Interest:
Bloom: Summer-Fall, August-October; Fruit/Seed/Nut: Fall/Winter
Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Tridens
- Species:
- flavus
- Family:
- Poaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Division
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- North America, NC
- Distribution:
- AL , AR , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , MI , MN , MO , MS , NC , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , TN , TX , VA , VT , WI , WV
- Wildlife Value:
- Seed heads are a food source for birds and mammals. This is a larval host plant that supports various skipper larvae and Common Wood-Nymph (Cercyonis pegala) which have one brood from late May to October. Adult Common Wood-Nymph butterflies feed on rotting plant matter. This species is also the larval host of a number of butterflies and moths, including Polites origenes (Crossline Skipper), Pompeius verna (Little Glassywing), and Poanes viator (Broad-winged Skipper). It provides excellent cover year-round.
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Salt, Deer, Drought, Erosion, Dry Soil, Air Pollution
- Dimensions:
- Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
- Perennial
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Erect
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Coarse
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12 inches-3 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Caryopsis
- Fruit Description:
- Fruits display from September to November.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Cream/Tan
- Gold/Yellow
- Purple/Lavender
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Panicle
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Good Cut
- Long-lasting
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Flower Description:
- Purple panicles of spikelets appear July to October.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Rough
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Linear
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- Linear green leaves are shallowly grooved to flat and up to 16 inches long and 10 mm wide. Leaves tightly sheath the stem.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Meadow
- Naturalized Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Native Garden
- Winter Garden
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Moths
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Salt
