Attracts:  Birds, Visual Attention

Resistances:  Deer - more info, Disease, Drought (when established), Dry Soil (occasional when established), Heat, Humidity, Insect, Salt

A North American native ornamental warm-season bunchgrass, Tridens flavus, commonly known as Purple Top or Redtop, among other names, features attractive, airy panicles of purple to reddish-purple seed heads that appear in the mid to late summer and persist into fall above a grassy clump of rich green foliage. It adds a wispy element as an accent or grouping in small garden spaces and is especially effective mass planted in larger natural areas. A tough but pretty grass, its salt tolerance lends well to coastal gardens and along roadsides. Easy to grow and adaptable, Purple Top thrives in full sun or all-day dappled sunlight and tolerates consistently moist soil or occasionally dry conditions. It is an excellent bird food source, but the deer leave it alone.

Purple Top Grass is a larval host plant that supports various skipper larvae and the Common Wood-Nymph. Common Wood-Nymph butterflies feed on rotting plant matter. This species is also the larval host of several butterflies and moths, including the Crossline Skipper, Little Glassywing, and Broad-winged Skipper. The plant provides excellent cover year-round for other creatures.