Purple love grass | The Morton Arboretum

Family (English) Grass
Family (botanic) Poaceae
Tree or plant type Grass, Perennial
Native locale Chicago area, Illinois, North America
Size range Medium plant (12-24 inches), Large plant (more than 24 inches)
Light exposure Full sun (6 hrs direct light daily)
Hardiness zones Zone 5 (Northern Illinois), Zone 6 (City of Chicago), Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9, Zone 10
Soil preference Dry soil, Sandy soil
Tolerances Dry sites, Occasional drought
Season of interest early winter, midwinter, late winter, midsummer, late summer, early fall, mid fall, late fall
Flower color and fragrance Purple, Red
Shape or form Mounded

Size and form:

Purple love grass forms a dense mound of leaves about 12 to 18 inches tall. When the flower stalks arise, the plant will be 2 to 3 feet tall.

Native geographic location and habitat:

C-Value: 3. Native to most of the United States. This grass is found in a number of different habitats, most often in dry or sandy soils.

Leaf description:

Leaves arise from the base of the plant and are 6 to 12 inches long and 1/4 to 1/2 inch long. They are green in summer, picking up a reddish tinge in fall before turning brown.

Flower description:

The tiny, wind-pollinated flowers are reddish-purple and held on branched clusters hanging above the foliage like a reddish cloud. Flowering time is summer.

Fruit description:

The small fruit (caryopsis or grain) form along the branched clusters that held the flowers.

Plant care:

Purple love grass makes its best growth in drier, well-drained soils. It is fairly tolerant of heat and drought. This is a warm season grass, so its most active growth occurs in summer. It will remain standing in winter and can act as winter interest. Since this grass remains attractive through winter, it should not be cut back until early spring, before new growth begins. At that time, it can be cut down to the ground.