New Mexico Feather Grass is More Awesome

Drought tolerant and thriving in adverse conditions, Hesperostipa neomexicanais is a tough one.

What I love about this native perennial grass is how it reproduces.

The long feathery tuffs helicopter the seed shafts away from the plant.

When they settle, the sharp awn point drill into the ground.

It’s good forage for deer and was used by the Hopi as necklaces in ceremony.
[Colton, Harold S. 1974 Hopi History And Ethnobotany. IN D. A. Horr (ed.) Hopi Indians. Garland: New York. (p. 367)]