Life Span
Perennial
Annual and Perennial
Type
Grass
Shrub
Origin
Southwestern United States, Texas, Mexico
Central America, South America
Types
Nassella tenuissima
Fruit Tree
Number of Varieties
152
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
driveways, open Woodlands, Roadsides, Rocky areas, Slopes, tree wells
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
USDA Hardiness Zone
6-109-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
11 - 4
-
Sunset Zone
2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Thicket/Colonizing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
50.80 cm457.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
55.90 cm243.84 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Light Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Light Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Yellow green, Tan
Light Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green, Yellow green, Gold, Tan
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Linear
Oval
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer
Spring, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Cuttings, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not water excessively
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Alkaline
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Dry, Sandy
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Requires little pruning
In Early Autumn, Prune in winter, Remove branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
Apply 12-6-6 fertilizer
Complete balanced fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Aphids, Red blotch, Whiteflies
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Wind
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Fine
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Bees, Birds, Butterflies, pollinators
Allergy
-
Pollen
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Landscape Designing, Showy Purposes, small hedge
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
Good for skin
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification, Food for birds, Nesting sites for birds, Windbreak
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Antioxidants, Arthritis, Diarrhea, Dysentry, Fertility, Fever, Inflammation, Kidney problems, Urinary tract problems, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for making hedge
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower / Everlasting, Container, Foundation, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall
Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
NASSELLA tenuissima
Malpighia emarginata
Common Name
Finestem Needlegrass, Mexican Feather Grass
Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crepe myrtle
In Hindi
Mexican Feather Grass
Acerola Tree
In German
Mexikanische Federgras
Acerola Baum
In French
Mexicaine Herbe Feather
Acerola Arbre
In Spanish
Pluma hierba mexicana
Árbol de acerola
In Greek
Μεξικού Αστραπή Grass
Acerola Δέντρο
In Portuguese
Mexican Pena Relva
Árvore acerola
In Polish
Mexican Feather trawy
Acerola Drzewo
In Latin
Mexicanus Pluma Grass
Acerola ligno
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
-
Class
Liliopsida
-
Order
Cyperales
Malpighiales
Family
Poaceae
Malpighiaceae
Genus
Nassella
Malpighia
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Stipeae
-
Subfamily
-
Paperveroideae
Number of Species
116-
1
27800
👆🏻