Melinis nerviglumis

Melinis nerviglumis, commonly known as bristle-leaved red top or ruby grass, is a densely tufted perennial grass in the family Poaceae native to grasslands and rocky slopes of southern, central and eastern Africa. It forms compact clumps 20 to 60 centimetres tall of fine, narrow, blue-green to grey-green leaves with rolled, almost bristle-like blades up to about 30 centimetres long and only 1 to 2 millimetres wide, often with a bluish bloom. In summer and autumn it produces showy open panicles 10 to 25 centimetres long held well above the foliage, with spikelets clothed in silky pink to ruby-red hairs that fade with age to silvery cream, giving the plant outstanding ornamental value. Each spikelet bears a long delicate awn that adds to the feathery appearance. The species grows on a variety of well-drained soils in full sun and is widely cultivated as a warm-season ornamental grass in tropical, subtropical and Mediterranean gardens around the world.