Tridens flavus

Tridens flavus, the purpletop tridens,[1] red top, or greasegrass, is a large, robust perennial bunchgrass native to eastern North America.

Tridens flavus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Tridens
Species:
T. flavus
Binomial name
Tridens flavus

It widespread throughout its range and is most often found in man-made habitats, such as hay meadows and lawns.

The seeds are purple, giving the grass its common name. The seeds are also oily, leading to its other common name, "greasegrass". It reproduces by seed and tillers.

The grass is often confused with the similar looking Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense), although it is only distantly related. Tridens flavus is easily distinguished by its short, hairy ligule.

It is a larval host to the common wood nymph, crossline skipper, little glassywing, and the Zabulon skipper.[2]

  • Individual florets and spikelet
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References
  1. "Tridens flavus". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  2. The Xerces Society (2016), Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects, Timber Press.
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