This versatile plant is a graceful arching, fine-textured grass that forms dense, reddish-green clumps. The foliage is flexible and blows easily in the wind. Slender leaves originate in a clump, spreading out and up like a fountain. The 3- to 4-foot-tall clumps produce beautiful purple-red or red-orange foliage in autumn that are excellent to dry. The 8- to 10-inch-long plumes turn white persisting through the winter months. Foliage is best left standing throughout the winter for visual interest and to provide protection for the crowns. Cut foliage to the ground in late winter just before new shoots appear. Three additional characteristics make this a unique plant: first; it is adaptable to cold climates; second, the majority of times this plant is a non-invasive because it usually does not produce fertile seeds; third, Autumn or Flame grass is naturally small and not a dwarf enjoying a bit more moisture.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.