Japanese Blood Grass
Imperata cylindrica 'Rubra' (syn. 'Red Baron')
📖 About this plant
A stunning ornamental grass renowned for its dramatic color transformation — the upright blades emerge green with blood-red tips in spring, gradually intensifying to brilliant crimson from tip to base by midsummer and autumn. The striking red color is most intense in full sun. The sterile cultivar is safe to grow (unlike the invasive green species), providing bold, long-lasting color in borders and mass plantings.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
Full sun to partial shade (4-6 hrs)
Every 1-2 weeks
Moderate (40-60%)
10-30°C
Well-draining, moist to average, loamy or sandy soil; tolerates a range of soil types
Light application of balanced fertilizer in early spring; avoid high-nitrogen feeds that reduce red coloration
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Eastern Asia (Japan, Korea, China); the 'Rubra'/'Red Baron' cultivar is a sterile garden selection
- 📏 Max height
- 30-60 cm
- 📐 Spread
- 30-45 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Summer - Fall
- 🎨 Bloom color
- White, Silver
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Red-Tipped Green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Moderate
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Non-toxic to humans and pets; the wild green species Imperata cylindrica is a noxious invasive weed
- 🌱 Propagation
- Division of clumps in spring; the sterile cultivar does not set viable seed (important — green revertents of the wild species are highly invasive)
🛡️ Health & Safety
Non-toxic to humans and pets; the wild green species Imperata cylindrica is a noxious invasive weed
Common issues
- Cercospora leaf spot, Rust fungi, Root rot in wet soil, Invasive spreading in some regions
💡 Care tips
- Green leaves develop striking blood-red tips as they mature,Color intensifies in full sun and cooler autumn weather,Clumping habit that does not spread aggressively,Cut back in late winter to make room for fresh spring growth
