Students for Stewardship The Cork Board
← Back to the library

Narrow-leaf Silkgrass

Pityopsis graminifolia (pit-ee-OP-sis gram-in-ee-FOH-lee-uh)

Family: Asteraceae Native Groundcover

A native, evergreen wildflower in the Asteraceae family. This is a tough, vigorous, evergreen ground cover that does poorly only if soils are too rich and damp. Will grow in both fine and medium-textured soils, however, it does not grow in a course (clay) soil. Its silvery-green, grass-like leaves and tendency to colonize make it useful as a foreground plant and a ground cover. Its bright, daisy-like flowers are most abundant in full sun. For a neat appearance, cut back just before new leaves emerge, in February.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 41 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 5 - Groundcover
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

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.

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Ground Cover; Herbaceous Perennial; Native Plant; Wildflower
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
5 - Groundcover
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect; Horizontal
Texture
Fine
Leaf color
Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf size
> 6 inches long
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Silvery, grass-like leaves, to 1 ft. long.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
2 in. clusters of bright-yellow, daisy-like flowers on 2 1/2 ft. stems. Blooms better the more sun it receives.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Stem detail
2 1/2' stems
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
North America
Wildlife value
Nectar in the flowers attracts butterflies and bees. Members of the genus Pityopsis support the specialized bee Perdita (Hexaperdita) boltoniae.
Attracts
Butterflies; Pollinators; Specialized Bees
Play value
Wildlife Food Source
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Coastal; Container; Lawn; Meadow; Naturalized Area; Patio; Walkways; Woodland
Landscape theme
Butterfly Garden; Native Garden; Pollinator Garden
Design feature
Border; Mass Planting; Small groups
Garden tags
#specialized bees #nectar plant #drought tolerant #groundcover #pollinator plant #native garden #sandy soils tolerant #dry soils tolerant #butterfly friendly #bee friendly #perennial #wildlife friendly #NC native #NC Native Pollinator Plant
Problems & Resistance
Resistant to
Dry Soil
Propagation
Division; Seed
Fire risk
low flammability

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.