Purpletop Grass

Tridens flavus

Size: 1g Availability

Grass
Max size: 5’ tall x 3’ wide
Average size: 3′ tall x 1′ wide

Moist to Dry, Very Dry
Clay, Loam, Sand
Sun, Part Shade

AKA: Tall Redtop, Purpletop Tridens

Long-lived perennial clumping grass prized for it’s reddish-purple seedheads in fall. It’s a great statement grass for the back or edges of a wildflower garden; they are excellent en masse, in large pots, meadows, privacy strips, woodland edges, and more. Florida is home to two varieties.

Their clumping habit provides nesting cover for a variety of wildlife. Their seeds feed avian like turkey, bobwhite, quail, sparrows, towhees, and more. It’s a larval host of a number of butterflies and moths, including the Common Wood Nymph, Crossline Skipper, Little Glassywing, and Broad-winged Skipper.

Additional sources: FNPS, NC State Extension, Atlas of Florida Plants