Purple Lovegrass

Eragrostis spectabilis

Purple Lovegrass is a warm season perennial grass native to much of North America. They thrive best in full sun and well drained soils. They’re also drought resistance but intolerant of poor, nutrient lacking soils. Leaf blades are green to tan. Flowers are reddish to purple and appear on loose inflorescences. By autumn, the dried inflorescences separate from the plant and get carried away by the wind, similar to a tumbleweed, and disperses its seeds as it travels. In the wild, they may be found in sandy prairies, roadsides or savannas. Zabulon Skipper butterflies utilizes Purple Lovegrass foliage as its larval host plant.