Native Plant Database

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Grass/Grass-like
Root Type: Fibrous
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Size Class: 3-6 ft.
Inflorescence: Spikelet
Fruit Type: Grain
Size Notes: 2 to 4 feet tall
Leaf Color: Green
Fruit Color: Tan

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Green
Bloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep

Distribution

USA: AL , AZ , AR , DE , FL , GA , IL , IN , IA , KS , KY , LA , MD , MI , MS , MO , NJ , NM , NC , OH , OK , PA , SC , TN , TX , VA , WV , WI , DC
Native Distribution: PA to s. IL & e. KS, s. to n. FL, e. TX, and Nuevo Leon
Native Habitat: Shaded slopes; low thickets; stream banks
USDA Native Status: L48(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
Soil pH: Acidic (pH<6.8)
CaCO3 Tolerance: Low
Soil Description: Moist sands, loams, and clays. Poorly drained okay.
Conditions Comments: Avoid planting in continuous full sun, as its leaves turn yellowish without adequate shade. The more water it receives, the more tolerant it will be of intense sun, but it still prefers shade.
Texas comments: Found primarily in the moist, woodland soils of east Texas, growing elsewhere in the state almost entirely along watercourses.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: An attractive, dense-covering grass for shade, with decorative seedheads. Also good in pots.
Use Wildlife: Seeds eaten by small mammals and granivorous birds. Leaves provide graze for mammals. Stems and leaves used as nesting material by birds.
Use Other: Cut seed stalks decorative in dried arrangements.
Interesting Foliage: yes
Attracts: Butterflies
Larval Host: Pepper & salt skipper butterfly, Bells road side skipper butterfly, Bronzed roadside skipper butterfly
Deer Resistant: Highly

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds , Root Division
Description: Propagate by seed or root division.
Seed Collection: Collect seed in fall.
Seed Treatment: Germinates and grows easily at any time.
Commercially Avail: yes
Maintenance: For a neat appearance, cut dead stalks back to the basal rosette in mid- to late winter. If leaves exceed 2 feet tall by spring and youd like to keep it shorter, cut them in half in May or June (Texas schedule). If a colony expands too aggressively, remove unwanted clumps. Very easy to transplant them.

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PlantWise: Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants

Chasmanthium latifolium (Inland sea oats) is a PlantWise native alternative for:

   Imperata cylindrica (cogongrass)

Find Seed or Plants

Order seed of this species from Native American Seed and help support the Wildflower Center.

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

Mr. Smarty Plants says

Question: Is there a native Texas plant that would be suited for an indoor application, such as large planters in a lobby space?
click here to view the full question and answer

Question: I have a large live oak (actually several) in my front yard, which basically puts the beds at the foundation of my house in full shade. I tore out the builder-boxwoods and privets, hoping to plant something that would provide some interest. I'm having an awful time getting anything to grow there. Pigeonberries just died. Barbados cherries are spindly with yellowish leaves, beautybush just has 2 or 3 long branches sticking straight up, even the turk's caps look anemic. I've tried snapdragon vine and bleeding hearts and neither took hold. There are also some spindly roses in the bed that survive and flower occasionally. The soil is very rocky and I'm not sure what to do to amend it. Am I watering too much (doubtful) or too little? Should I just build up the edges of the bed and fill it with topsoil? I really want to xeriscape, because I don't want to have to spend every weekend babying my garden. HELP!
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Question: What native grasses can be grown under large Live Oaks in the Dallas Area? The combination of shade and black gumbo soil seem to keep all plant life, except for poison ivy and ferns, out. I would love to replace the spotty St Augustine grass that is currently in place.
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Question: Hi Mr. Smarty Plants, I have a question about the East Texas area: Specifically, which natvie grasses can be planted to hold the soil/new roads through the winter? Here is the situation: (Against my will), my uncle and father are planning to use some of the land for timber (pines). However, there are several roads (to be used a paths for 4 wheelers) cut through the area where they just cleared and my uncle is planning to plant them in rye grass (as recommend by the forester) so it will hold the roads and soil through the winter. Also, the dam along the pond was just fixed (beavers had cut through it) and needs grass there to keep the soil as well. Is there a native alternative for both situations that you can recommend? I have tried to explain the benefit of planting native grasses here (I am a UT Geography student and took a class at Wildflower Center with Mark Simmons in Fall of 2007). However, my uncle does not believe me, instead chosing to believe the forester and his rye grass everywhere theory (which brings in the hogs, who destroy the land). Currenlty, the open land is overrun with non-native Bahhia - what is the best way to get rid of that and encourage native growth? Burning? Thank you for your help. Any information you can share with me (and hopefully my uncle!) would be helpful.
click here to view the full question and answer

Question: What ornamental plant will do well under Live Oak trees?
click here to view the full question and answer

From the National Suppliers Directory

According to the inventory provided by Associate Suppliers, this plant is available at the following locations:

Wrights Nursery - Briggs, TX
Amandas Garden - Springwater, NY
Sunshine Farm & Gardens - Renick, WV
Enchanter's Garden - Hinton, WV

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
Pineywoods Native Plant Center - Nacogdoches, TX
Texas Discovery Gardens - Dallas, TX
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX
United States Botanic Garden - Washington, DC
Native Plant Society of Texas - Fredericksburg, TX
Nueces River Authority - Uvalde, TX
Stengl Biological Research Station - Smithville, TX

Bibliography

Manual of the Vascular Plants of Texas (1979) Correll, D. S. & M. C. Johnston
* Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (2006) Burrell, C. C.
* Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski
Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife (1999) Damude, N. & K.C. Bender

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Chasmanthium latifolium in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Chasmanthium latifolium in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Chasmanthium latifolium