Native Plants

Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Enter a Plant Name:
Or you can choose a plant family:

Smith, R.W.

Tridens flavus

Tridens flavus (L.) Hitchc.

Purpletop Tridens, Redtop Tridens, Tall Redtop Tridens, Purpletop, Redtop, Tall Redtop

Poaceae (Grass Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: trfl2

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (I)

Tall redtop or Purple-top is a 2 1/2-7 ft. tall perennial grass with drooping branches bearing widely spaced reddish-purple spikelets. In mass, this species puts a purple top on old fields and open woods. The plant becomes brown in fall.

From the Image Gallery

5 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Grass/Grass-like
Root Type: Fibrous
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Shape: Linear
Leaf Venation: Parallel
Inflorescence: Panicle
Fruit Type: Caryopsis
Size Notes: Up to about 7 feet tall.
Leaf: Green

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Purple
Bloom Time: Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , MI , MN , MO , MS , NC , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , TN , TX , VA , VT , WI , WV
Native Distribution: S. NH to IL & NE, s. to Mex.
Native Habitat: Roadsides, Open woodlands

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
CaCO3 Tolerance: Low
Soil Description: Dry soils. Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay
Conditions Comments: During early growth it is readily consumed by livestock.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: Attractive
Use Wildlife: Graze, Nesting material.
Attracts: Butterflies
Larval Host: Cross-line skipper, Broad-winged skipper, Little Glassywing skipper, Large Wood Nymph.

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)

Common Wood Nymph
(Cercyonis pegala)

Larval Host

Learn more at BAMONA

Crossline Skipper
(Polites origenes)

Larval Host

Learn more at BAMONA

Little Glassywing
(Pompeius verna)

Larval Host

Learn more at BAMONA

Broad-winged Skipper
(Poanes viator)

Larval Host

Learn more at BAMONA

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.

View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FACU		UPL		FACU	UPL		UPL	UPL	UPL

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

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
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX
Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR
Jacob's Well Natural Area - Wimberley, TX

Bibliography

Bibref 1186 - Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America (2005) Covell, C.V., Jr.
Bibref 1185 - Field Guide to Western Butterflies (Peterson Field Guides) (1999) Opler, P.A. and A.B. Wright
Bibref 841 - Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (2006) Burrell, C. C.
Bibref 1294 - The Midwestern Native Garden: Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers and Plants An Illustrated Guide (2011) Adelman, Charlotte and Schwartz, Bernard L.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Research Literature

Reslit 455 - Occurrence and stand density of Tridens flavus (L) Hitchc as related to some soil factors (1966) L. E. Foote and J. A. Jackobs
Reslit 638 - Response of Tridens flavus (L.) A. S. Hitchc. to soil nutrients and disturbance in an early successional old field (2006) Y. A. K. Honu, D. J. Gibson and B. A. Middleton
Reslit 1027 - Germination Responses of Purpletop and Big Bluestem Caryopses Subjected to Distilled Water or Potassium Nitrate Prechilling, Sodium Hypochlorite, and Storage (2009) M. W. Olszewski and G. J. Folin
Reslit 1028 - Use of confocal microscopy to relate germination vigour to embryo morphology of dormant and non-dormant purpletop (Tridens flavus) (2009) M. W. Olszewski, W. G. Pill, D. A. Scheiblin and K...
Reslit 1514 - Range expansion northward in Illinois and into Wisconsin of Tridens flavus (Poaceae) (1997) A. H. Williams

This information was provided by the Florida WIldflower Foundation.
Search More Titles in Research Literature

Additional resources

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

Metadata

Record Modified: 2015-04-16
Research By: LAL

Go back