Longspike Fluffgrass

Tridens strictus

Found in sandhills; pine savannas; oak savannas and openings; forests and woodlands; freshwater marshes; swamps; roadsides, fields and disturbed ground. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

—

Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height: About 4.9 feet
Spread: 1.5–2.5 feet
Light: Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry to moist

See native alternatives

No photograph yet. Looking for an old drawing…

Plant this instead

Your county or city

Choose your county to list local plants first.

Fringed Sedge
Carex crinita
Sun: Part shade. Soil: Moist to wet. Flowers: Green.
Similar growth form, height, spread
Bitter Panicgrass
Panicum amarum
Sun: Full sun. Soil: Dry to moist. Flowers: Pink.
Similar growth form, height, spread
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow, pink, purple or red.
Similar growth form, height, spread

Refine these alternatives in the finder

Check a whole list of plants

At a glance

Bloom: August to November
Fruiting season: Summer to fall

JFMAMJJASOND

Not yet recorded · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 3 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 7

Sandy pine savanna. Shown: Shaken Creek Preserve, Pender and Onslow Counties, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Sandy Pine Savanna, Rush Featherling subtype, Robert Thornhill, undated. CC BY 4.0. Source record.

Oak savanna: open-grown oaks over grass. Shown: Catoosa Savanna, Tennessee, a neighboring state.Catoosa Savanna, 11 July 2012, Mason Brock (Masebrock), undated. Public domain. Source record.

Named place / source context. Shown: Great Dismal Swamp, North Carolina, as titled by Museum of Fine Arts Boston; nineteenth-century artistic interpretation, a neighboring state.View, Dismal Swamp, North Carolina, Regis Francois Gignoux, 1850. Public domain. Source record.

Sandhills

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Freshwater marshes

Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

10CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Tridens

Cercyonis pegalaCommon Wood Nymph
Dargida diffusaWheat Head Armywotm Moth
Heliocheilus lupatusLupatus Straw Moth, Purple-Top Sun Moth
Heliocheilus paradoxusParadoxical Grass Moth
Hesperia leonardusLeonard's Skipper, Blazing Star Skipper, Pawnee Prairie Skipper, Pawnee Montane Skipper
Lerema acciusClouded Skipper, Corn Leaf tier
Limochores origenesCrossline Skipper
Lon hobomokHobomok Skipper
Lon zabulonZabulon Skipper
Vernia vernaLittle Glassywing

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Poaceae
Hardiness: Zones 5–9
Flower color: Green
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth habit: Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: Summer
Fruit ends: Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “August to November” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth habit · “Spreads by rhizomes” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Hardiness · “Zones 5–9” · Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder
Height · “About 4.9 feet” · USDA PLANTS (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs) · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Spread · “1.5–2.5 feet” · Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder

Also known as

Long Spike Triden

Conservation status

Virginia rank	SNA
Global rank	G5
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source