Description

Warm season bunch grass with gray to blue-green stems in spring, turning to green alternating with deep red in summer, then to coppery red in fall – beautiful! Three-fingered seed heads top tall stems in August, giving rise to the common name of turkey’s foot. Drought tolerant; tends to flop in moist conditions. Height: 4-6 ft. Spread: 2-3 ft. Family: Poaceae Sun: full sun Bloom time: September to February Bloom: purplish-red Water: dry to medium Deer resistant One of the dominant grasses of the tallgrass prairie which once covered large parts of the Midwest. Extensive root system makes this a good grass for erosion control. Native grasses provide cover for songbirds, nesting material/structure for native bees, and are larval host plants. photo credit: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA