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Sand Lovegrass (Eragrostis trichodes): Airy Native Grass for Dry Sands

Overview

Sand Lovegrass is a warm-season, clump-forming perennial native to central and eastern North America. It forms a basal tuft of narrow leaves and produces large, open, airy panicles of tiny seeds that create a pinkish-purple haze in late summer, rising 3-4 feet above the foliage. Thrives in sandy soils.

Taxonomy & Nomenclature

Family:	Poaceae (poh-AY-see-ee)
Genus:	Eragrostis (er-uh-GROS-tis)
Species:	trichodes (TRY-ko-deez)

Cultivation & Uses

Full sun; dry, sandy, well-drained soil. Extremely drought-tolerant. Excellent for sand dunes, prairie restorations, dry meadows, and erosion control on sandy slopes. The airy seed heads are beautiful in arrangements. Self-sows in open soil. Low maintenance.

Grasses and Bamboo: Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus); Buffalograss (Bouteloua dactyloides): The Native, Drought-Tolerant Turf of the Great Plains; Robust Fargesia (Fargesia robusta): A Tall, Clumping Bamboo for Screening; Dwarf Bamboo (Dendrocalamus minor): A Small, Clumping Tropical Bamboo; Thamnocalamus spathiflorus: A Rare, Clumping Bamboo from the Himalayas; Goldentop (Lamarckia aurea); Teosinte (Zea mexicana); Bamboo (Gigantochloa pseudoarundinacea); Bamboo (Fargesia denudata); Scrub Pine (Pinus clausa): Florida's Fire-Adapted Sand Pine

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