Native Plant Database

Strickland, Sam C.

Melica nitens (Scribn.) Nutt. ex Piper

Three-flower melic, Tall melicgrass, Threeflower melicgrass, Melicgrass

Poaceae (Grass Family)

USDA Symbol: meni

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

Small florets, 2 or 3 in number, but 2 most common in the southern parts of its range, which dangle in loose panicles on the slender, arching stems of this 3-5 ft. grass. Leaf blades usually flattened. Spikelets longer than they are wide.

A very graceful-looking, rhizomatous, cool-season grass usually found in part-shade in savannahs and open woodlands. In the northern reaches of its range, it is called Three-Flower Melic, because its florets, appearing in spring, are in groups of three. Further south, including in Texas, the florets are most often in groups of two. However many there are, they are white and showy swaying above the spring green foliage. By summer, the grass has gone to seed, turning tan as the hot months progress. It is somewhat of a summer dormant and is often cut back in early fall, just before the next seasons growth begins. In the wild, it is associated with Wild Hyacinth (Camassia scilloides) and oak or juniper savannahs.

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