Eragrostis spectabilis (Purple Lovegrass 'Snuggy' )

Purple Lovegrass is a warm-season native perennial bunchgrass. It blooms in late summer or early fall, featuring small, bright purple to pink blooms that resemble billowy purple haze. As the seeds mature, the panicle takes on a buff color and can detach entirely, tumbling away like a tumbleweed to disperse seeds. Autumn foliage acquires an attractive reddish hue. Its seeds are tiny yet prolific, providing nutritious forage for songbirds and small mammals, which also use the dense foliage for cover. The plant is a larval host for the Zabulon Skipper butterfly. The species is drought-, salt-, and cold-tolerant, making it an excellent choice for roadsides and difficult sites — once established, it needs little to no additional attention. It prospers in full sun and infertile, dry, sandy, or gravelly soil. 'Snuggy' is a cultivar that is well-suited to borders, mass plantings, containers, and rock gardens. Its compact size compared to the straight species makes it especially versatile in smaller garden spaces or designed landscapes where a tidy, manageable clump is desired. AT A GLANCE Texas native Yes Water use Low Sun exposure Full sun Bloom color Purple, pink Bloom time Summer, fall Mature height 1.5-2 ft Mature spread 2-3 ft Attracts Birds, butterflies Host plant Zabulon Skipper butterfly Deer resistant Yes DISTRIBUTION MAPS USDA MAP BONAP MAP Present in state Present in county and native Native to North America, but adventive & escaped in state Not present in state Present and rare, native in county Previously present, now extinct Questionable presence (cross-hatched, regardless of color)