Eragrostis capensis
Water Needs
moderate; high
Grass
Heart Seed Love Grass
50 cm seed stems up to 1.2 m
Size
Light Conditions
sun
Frost
hardy
Flowers
biscuit-coloured seed head September to May; spring summer autumn
Garden Situation
sun; grassland; rockery; damp sun; roof; paving
Habitat
grassland; fynbos; bushveld; water
Region
thicket; Highveld; bushveld savanna; karoo; subtropical east coast; western cape
Rain Season
summer; winter
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Description
The Heart Seed Love Grass grows naturally in damp areas but thrives in typical garden soils in areas of moderate rainfall. Widespread through much of the summer rainfall biomes, and the coastal Western and Eastern Cape, it forms small, dense tufts. Leaves are narrow, up to 70 mm long, and often red-purple at the base. One of the first grasses to flower after a winter burn, or as the spring rains fall, clumps soon send up tall flowering stalk (up to 1.2 m high) with beautiful biscuit coloured seed heads from September to May. Flowering stems often droop under the weight of the inflorescence. The Heart-seed Love Grass has become a favorite subject of meadow and grassland displays. Eragrostis must be cut right back at the end of winter.