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The large inflorescence is attractive, forming a purple haze in the distance. Purple Love Grass has spread throughout the state along roads and railways, but it is selective in the habitats that it invades. On moist fertile ground, taller grasses and forbs will displace this species. Compared to many other Eragrostis spp. (Love Grasses), Purple Love Grass has wider leaf blades (3-8 mm. across), an inflorescence that is longer than the rest of the plant, pedicels that are longer than the spikelets, and more showy purple spikelets. There is some variation in the size of the spikelets, lemmas and glumes; also, the hairiness of the foliage can be variable across different populations.