Eastern Gamagrass, Fakahatchee Grass – Tripsacum Dactyloides

General Landscape Uses: Accent grass. Large groundcover in wet to moist areas.

Description: Large herbaceous grass.

Dimensions: Typically 3-4 feet in height; to 6 feet when in flower. About as broad as tall.

Growth Rate: Moderate.

Range: Widespread in eastern and central North America south to Miami-Dade County and the Monroe County mainland; West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America.

Habitats: Marshes, swamps and wet pinelands.

Soils: Moist to wet, moderately well-drained to poorly-drained sandy, organic, or limestone soils, with humusy top layer.

Nutritional Requirements: Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.

Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water.

Salt Wind Tolerance: Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.

Drought Tolerance: Moderate to low; requires moist to wet soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.

Light Requirements: Full sun to light shade.

Flower Color: Anthers orange, stigma purple.

Flower Characteristics: Semi-showy inflorescence.

Flowering Season: Spring-fall.

Fruit: Inconspicuous caryopsis.

Wildlife and Ecology: Larval host plant for clouded skipper (Lerema accius) and three-spotted skipper (Cymaenes tripunctus) butterflies. Provides seeds and insects for birds.

Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed and division.

References: Nelson 2003

Comments: See a 2019 post on the Treasure Coast Natives blog on Fakahatchee Grass (Eastern Gama Grass) and it’s relation to corn.