Anatherum ternarium - grass, splitbeard bluestem

Height: 2’ to 4’
Spread: 1’ to 3’
Light Needs: sun, part shade
Water: dry to average
Flower color: brown
Bloom time: August to November

This ornamental grass is notable for its colorful flower stalks and silvery white seed tufts in fall. Slender leaves are often purplish, especially in fall. It is a clumping grass but it is likely to produce volunteer seedlings. It is suitable for gardens, pocket prairies and naturalizing. The seeds attract birds and the grass will provide nesting material/structure for  birds and native bees. Wood nymph butterflies and various skippers use this plant as a host plant for their caterpillars. Deer tend to leave grasses alone.

This grass was previously known as Andropogon ternarius.