Starrush Whitetop

Rhynchospora colorata

native · Hill Country

Starrush Whitetop is a grass native to the Texas Hill Country that grows 1–2 ft tall and 2 ft wide. It wants full sun or part shade and medium water, and handles clay soil. Blooms white in Jun–Aug. Evergreen — it holds its leaves through winter. Deer rarely browse it. Good for bees, birds, butterflies and small mammals.

Wet ground only. Usually found in wetlands and creek bottoms. It wants reliably moist ground and struggles in a dry upland bed.

Will it grow in your yard?

Enter your ZIP. The finder checks Starrush Whitetop against your microclimate, then ranks it against your sun, your watering and deer pressure.

The facts

5 sources

Type: Grass
Sun: Full sun to part shade (4–8 hrs of direct sun)
Water: Medium
Height: 1–2 ft
Spread: 2 ft
Bloom: Jun–Aug · white
Foliage: Evergreen
Soil: Takes clay · recorded on brackish, clay, loam, moist, poor drainage, sand
Deer: High — deer rarely browse it
Wildlife: Supports bees, birds, butterflies and small mammals

Where it grows

Recorded in these EPA Level IV ecoregions in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Balcones CanyonlandsLlano UpliftEdwards Plateau WoodlandNorthern Blackland PrairieFloodplains and Low Terraces

435 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Also grows here — hard to find. Native and recorded growing in Central Texas, but not on the grower stock lists we read. Sourcing varies: some are stocked widely, others you will have to hunt for.