Purpletop Tridens
Tridens flavus (Linnaeus) Hitchcock
Purpletop Tridens: https://marylandbiodiversity.com/species/4156
Synonyms
Grease Grass  Purple Top  Purpletop  Sieglinga sesleroides  Tricuspis seslerioides  Triodia flava 
Tags

Map Snapshot

438 Records

Status

Common throughout Maryland.

Relationships

Zabulon Skipper, Little Glassywing, Crossline Skipper, and Spotted Straw Moth use Purpletop Tridens as a host plant. A potential host plant for Common Wood-Nymph.

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Source: Wikipedia

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

Tridens flavus, known as purpletop, purpletop tridens, tall redtop, greasy grass, and grease grass,[1][2][3] is a large, robust perennial bunchgrass.

The seeds are purple, giving the grass its common name. The seeds are also oily, leading to its other common name, "grease grass". 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.

Native to eastern North America, it is widespread throughout its range and is most often found in man-made habitats, such as hay meadows and lawns.

It is a larval host to the common wood nymph, crossline skipper, little glassywing, and the Zabulon skipper.[4]

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References

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  1. ^ "FSUS- Tridens flavus". fsus.ncbg.unc.edu. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  2. ^ "NameThatPlant.net: Tridens flavus". www.namethatplant.net. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Tridens flavus | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox". plants.ces.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  4. ^ The Xerces Society (2016), Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects, Timber Press.
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