Native Plant Database

Header Photo: Mervin Wallace

Purple Lovegrass

Eragrostis spectabilis
Plant Type: Grasses / Sedges / Rushes
Native Environment: Prairie, Savanna / Woodland
Season of Interest: Late (July - frost)
Main Color: Purple
Fall Color: Brown

USDA PLANTS Range Map

At the range map link above, zoom in for county-level data

Purple Lovegrass plant with loose reddish purple inflorescence
Photo: James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Sun Exposure 
Full Sun
Soil
Moisture
Dry, Moderate
Nature Attracting
Butterfly, Songbirds
Wildlife Benefit
Butterfly / Moth Host, Cover, Food/Birds, Food/Small Animals
Animal
Resistance
Size

Height:

12 to
24
inches

Spread:

12 to
24
inches
Size
Height: 12 to
24
inches
Spread: 12 to
24
inches
Size
Height: 12 to
24
inches
Spread: 12 to
24
inches
Typical Landscape Use
Good in borders or in small groups, and excellent for mass plantings where the hazy appearance of the reddish purple inflorescence can be used to great effect.
Establishment and Care Instructions
Plants like sandy or gravelly loams and hot, dry locations and can grow on infertile soils. Propagate in spring by seed or division (plants will also self-seed).
Special Features
Ornamental Fruits / Seed Pods / Seed Heads
Special Usage
Dried Flower
Basic Description

A warm-season bunch grass with attractive reddish purple flowers that form in a loose, open inflorescence in July-August. The green foliage has mostly basal leaves that are coarse and flat. The flowers turn brown by October, and the seed heads may detach and form tumbleweeds at season’s end. Host to Zabulon skipper butterfly larvae.

Where Should I Start?

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Where Can I Find This Plant in Nature?

Learn about the Native Environment(s) inhabited by the plants in this database.

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