Absolutely none of the images I have seen of Danthonia spicata online do it justice. I think it’s because they’re taken during active growth, and that is not when they look their best. During active growth, they just look like a typical grass? Long green blades with a flowering stem that reaches around a foot tall (based on the ones in my woods). Maybe the ones that grow in full sun get taller. To truly admire this grass, you have to see it in winter.
Danthonia spicata really stands out in winter
When I tell people that this little grass is one of my favorite native grasses, I get two responses. Most people have never heard of it, so they just nod their heads, and that’s it. Or they might mention that they’d need to look it up. Those who do know it, but only know it during the active growing season, look at me like I’m nuts. I can understand that, because during the active season it’s not interesting. Maybe a little hairy? Bordering on looking a bit like weedy grasses? It’s certainly not what I’d consider ornamental.
No, we need to fix that. The product photos were taken in winter. The main image with the blue sky was taken end of December 2023. The second really large clump of it was taken in another part of the woods in early March 2025. Below is an image borrowed from wikimedia commons to show what they look like in summer. They don’t even look like the same plant!
There’s something that brings me so much joy seeing these little curly bows dotting the forest floor in winter. Maybe it’s okay that they don’t look like much in summer – they have a job to do, and other plants are busy showing off. But when other plants hide underground, we get to admire this one while it’s sleeping. Pet it even, twirling the curled blades around your finger like hair, or fluffing it up to make it poofier.
Why does it curl up like that?
I am speculating, but I’ve been observing this grass for a number of years at this point. Notice how there are green blades of grass that are still actively photosynthesizing in the middle of winter. They’re hidden among and beneath the curls. The exposed leaf tips beyond the curls are dried up a bit. My guess is it’s a way to protect the few delicate leaves it needs to photosynthesize during winter from frost and cold winds. These curls would work similar to that of the woolen coats of sheep. The dried blades, although done converting solar energy into food, help to protect the crown of the grass like a winter coat.
This little clumping grass doesn’t die back down beneath the soil. Part of the grass remains awake and somewhat active throughout the coldest months. It would make sense that it had adapted a way to protect itself from the cold. The mounding habit of the curls also likely helps with reducing how much leaf cover can pile up on top of it. Any leaves on top would get blown off or slide off to the side. If it did what other grasses do, leaves would be far more likely to get stuck among the dried blades. Since the only kryptonite to this grass is competition from taller species in its personal space, I suspect too much leaf cover would eventually kill it off.
Danthonia spicata is gaining popularity thanks to Cornell
A few years ago I was watching a lecture on a study testing plants as a native lawn alternative, and one name stood out. I’d already known this grass, but it seemed like nobody else I mentioned it to did. Then, when they listed off the plants that performed well in this study, Danthonia spicata came up. Poverty oatgrass was one of the winners. Later on, I watched an interview with someone from Archewild, and it was mentioned again.
According to this article from NWF, as of last year, Danthonia spicata and its cousin, Danthonia compressa (which I don’t have) continue to dominate the native lawn. There are other native grasses that I think would also do well, depending on the site. Nimblewill is well known as a “weed” that outcompetes turf, yet it’s actually a native grass. I don’t know why “they” (the pros) try to keep reinventing the wheel. I get it, nimblewill is not attractive in winter at all. However, that one’s tough enough to push back against quackgrass. That takes some skill. But Danthonia can certainly hold its own as well, it’s just more of a clumper than spreader.
Easy to grow from seed
This one is very easy to grow from seed. I’ve winter-sown it, but from what I’ve read, it can germinate without any sort of conditioning. The only issue with it is collecting enough seed. Compared to other grasses, it doesn’t produce as much seed as some of the other grasses. Since I’m currently in the process of killing off my lawn and replacing it with this, I’m offering a few plants here and there if you are interested in adding it to a bare spot in your yard to let it re-seed. I intend to continue sowing this one in succession as long as I have the seed to do it, so if it’s out of stock, keep checking back.
I’m working on the next steps to be able to sell seed in addition to plants, so at that point I will definitely be offering this one. The plants in my shop are 100% wild PA ecotype from seed I collect off my property in Blue Bell, PA.
The ultimate lawn test – can it handle it?
The only drawback (if one can call it that) to this plant is that it is a clumping grass. It does not spread out to create a turf. Instead, you get more of a polkadot effect. However, if you grow enough of them close to one another, they can fill in the space.
Otherwise, this plant can be mowed, stepped on, driven over, wheelbarrowed over. It grows just fine in compacted soil. Dry sites or alluvial ones prone to ponding are both tolerated. It also doesn’t mind full sun to full shade. Best of all, it does not need to be fertilized, and you don’t have to mow it, ever. But you can mow it if you want. If you don’t, it will help it re-seed on the property. If you have spot on your property that struggles to grow anything and just turns to mud, I would try this there.
Benefit to habitat
Believe it or not, there are some species of insects that do feed on Danthonia spicata. There are a number of skippers that host on this species, as well as grasshoppers and leafhoppers. The fibrous root system and the poofy clump helps to stabilize soil and reduce erosion.
Aiding the fight against lesser celandine
I’ve been actively working on killing off lesser celandine that had been taking over my property, especially in alluvial areas where it had swept in from my neighbor’s property. Of all the native plants I’ve seen growing among it, this one actually seemed to put a stop to its spread. There’s one section where Danthonia spicata grows in abundance that is also periodically inundated with water during heavy rains. While some of the bulblets managed to get past the grass, the vast majority got caught up in the clumps.
This means, this grass can potentially serve as a trap to prevent or slow down the continued spread of lesser celandine, especially if the patch is dense enough. Not only does it stop lesser celandine, it managed to continue to re-seed among it, meaning that the allelopathy of Ficaria verna seems to have no effect on Danthonia spicata.
There is one other plant native here that may potentially help if grown in tandem (which I don’t have) called water star-grass (Heteranthera dubia). This one grows in water, but can root and grow on the soil surface as well if it gets washed up. While lesser celandine still needs to be killed off, if there is a way to prevent further spread, it would reduce how far it can travel during flooding events. This is something I hope to experiment with in the coming years.
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