Plant Type

Ground cover, Grass

 

Height Range

1-3'

 

Flower Color

Purple

 

Flower Season

Summer

 

Leaf Color

Green

 

Bark Color

n/a

 

Fruit Color

n/a

 

Fruit Season

n/a

Sun

Full

 

Water

Low

 

Growth Rate

Slow

 

Soil Type

Clay, Loam, Rocky

 

Soil Condition

Average, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral, Basic

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

Meadow, Ranch, Woodland

 

Accenting Features

n/a

 

Seasonal Interest

Spring, Summer

 

Location Uses

Background, Raised Planter

 

Special Uses

Erosion Control, Filler, Mass Planting, Lawn Alternative

 

Attracts Wildlife

Birds, Wildlife

An erect to ascending bunchgrass growing in small tufts that usually grow about 12 inches tall and 4 inches wide. Seedstalks grow 1 to 3 feet tall. Starts growth in early spring or when moisture is available. Seeds mature in early summer. Reproduces from seeds. A Utah native, it is found at elevations between 4000 and 7500 feet on alluvial fans, sandy benches, and gravelly foothills. It occurs in the 10 to 18 inch rainfall belt. Use for meadow plantings; blends well with Indian ricegrass and sandberg bluegrass. Best suited for natural areas or urban/wildland interfaces.

Full sun. Well adapted to excessively drained, sandy or gravelly soils and also to shallow or deep sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or even clay soils that are shallow to deep, with widely varying amounts of stones and rock fragments. A cool season grass, it will go dormant in the summer without supplemental irrigation. Mow in late summer. Also listed as Stipa comata.