Poaceae

Purple sandgrass

Triplasis purpurea (Walter) Chapm.

Family: Poaceae
Genus: Triplasis

Pet and kid safety: not checked yet. Check pet-safe plants

Purple sandgrass (Triplasis purpurea) — FlowerPhoto: Arturo Santos, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

Is yours looking unwell? Scan your plant — free

Common names

By language (1)

English: Purple sandgrass

Synonyms

Aira purpurea Walter
Diplocea barbata Raf.
Festuca brevifolia Muhl.
Festuca purpurea F.Muell.
Glyceria brevifolia (Muhl.) Schult.
Merisachne drummondii Steud.
Panicularia brevifolia (Muhl.) Porter
Sieglingia purpurea Kuntze
Tricuspis purpurea (Walter) A.Gray
Triodia purpurea (Walter) Smyth
Triplasis caribensis (R.W.Pohl) Beetle
Triplasis floridana Gand.
Triplasis glabra Gand.
Triplasis intermedia Nash
Triplasis purpurea var. caribensis R.W.Pohl
Triplasis purpurea var. purpurea
Triplasis sparsiflora Chapm.
Uralepis aristulata Nutt.
Uralepis purpurea (Walter) Nutt.

Flowers

In flower: September to October (from 13 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Graminoid
Lifespan: Annual
In the US and Canada: Canada: native, Lower 48 states: native

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Arturo Santos, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Douglas Goldman, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: DouglasGoldman, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Zihao Wang, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: DouglasGoldman, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Nathan Aaron, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: DouglasGoldman, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Reuven Martin, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: DouglasGoldman, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Ryan Donnelly, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Cleveland Powell, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Cleveland Powell, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

More in Triplasis

Perennial sandgrassTriplasis americanaPoaceae

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.