Oplismenus setarius/ Oplismenus hirtellus ssp. setarius (American Basket-grass/ Woods-grass, Zacate de Labor

Description

This 2″-6″ Creeping Perennial Grass makes an excellent groundcover, lawn substitute and hanging basket plant. It can be grown indoors. It is a larval host of the Carolina Satyr Butterfly. In the southernmost parts of the US, it is evergreen, but in our area, the tops die back and turn brown in the winter. In the warmest parts of the country, it blooms and sets side year round. Birds (including the Painted Bunting) and small mammals love the seeds. In Coastal SC, It mainly blooms in Summer and Fall. , Iis native from Eastern NC, south to FL, west to TX and south  through the Caribbean and Central America to central South America. We propagated our plants from an especially dense plants whose leaves completely covered the soil surface in McIntosh Co, GA. We will update the pictures to show our plants at a later date. It makes an excellent deer-baffle for woodland wildflowers. It is easy to pull up where not wanted,Although it tolerates mowing and foot traffic, it does not need mowing. Plant in moist to  moderately dry soil in shade or part shade.

Other common names for this plant are Zacate Perfumado, Pitillo, Pasto Sombra. It is used medicinally in Colombia.

A sister species Oplismenus burmannii