Grass Description
Found on rocky slopes and well drained soils.
General Description
A hardy, robust, tufted perennial grass. Although the seed heads are quite inconspicuous, the attractive feature of this grass is the beautiful red color the whole plant turns in autumn and carries on through winter.
Erect perennial; stems 15 to 48 inches long, branched sparingly at upper nodes; seedhead a single branch lined with sessile and stemmed spikelet pairs; sessile spikelet 2-flowered; upper lemmas are cleft for 2/3 of their length.
Flower Characteristics
Seedheads consist of a single branch that protrudes from the uppermost leaf sheath at maturity. Spikelets are grouped in pairs; one spikelet is attached directly to the seedhead and is fertile, the other is attached with a short stalk and is sterile.
Vegetative Characteristics
Blades are flat, 2-3/4 to 7-3/4 inches long and less than 1/4 inch wide. Leaf blades may be smooth or hairy and have a tuft of long hairs at the leaf bases.
Provides fair to good pasture when young.