Lily Turf

(Liriope muscari)

Interesting Information About Plant:  

Lilyturf is commonly mistaken for mondo or monkey grass.  The only way you can tell the difference is by the fruit.  The fruit of the lilyturf is bluish/black.  The other fruit is black.  Lilyturf is actually not a grass.  It belongs to the lily family.  This ground covering is very good for lining side walks.  It is drought tolerant and allergy free. 

Late in the fall you should cut the last years foliage with a sharp lawnmower.  This enables the next year’s growth to be full and lush.  Lilyturf is very hardy and can endure the extreme conditions.  As I said earlier lilyturf is drought resistant.  It can grow in full sun, partial shade, or even in full shade.   

The lilyturf at Bellarmine enhances the beauty of the campus.  As you travel behind the school the side of the buildings is lined with lilyturf and it seems very welcoming.

Scientific Name: Liriope muscari

Family Name (Scientific and Common): Liliaceae (lily)

Continent of Origin: Asia                                              

Plant Growth Habit: Ground Cover

Height at Maturity: Between 1- 3 Feet

Life Span: Perennial

Seasonal Habit: Herbaceous That Stays Green Through Winter

Growth Habitat: Full Sun  /  Partial Sun  

Manner of Culture: Landscape Shrub-Vine-Tree (Grass)

Thorns on Younger Stem: No

Cross Section of Younger Stem: Roundish   

Stem (or Trunk) Diameter: Between the Diameter of a Pencil and a Broom-Handle 

Produces Brownish Bark: No

Bark Peeling in Many Areas: No

Characteristics of Mature (Brownish) Bark: N/A

Type of Leaf: Flat, Thin Leaf  

Length of Leaf (or Leaflet): Longer than a Writing-Pen   d.r.

Leaf Complexity: Simple 

Edge of Leaf: Smooth 

Leaf Arrangement: Alternate

Leaf has Petiole: No

Patterns of Main-Veins on Leaf (or Leaflet): Parallel 

Leaf Hairiness: No Hairs

Color of Foliage in Summer: Green 

Change in Color of Foliage in October: No Change   

Flowering Season: Summer  

Flowers: Single 

Type of Flower: Colorful Flower

Color of Flower: Purple-Violet 

Shape of Individual Flower: Radially Symmetrical 

Size of Individual Flower: Between a Quarter and the Length of a Credit Card  

Sexuality: Male and Female Flowers on Separate Plants  

Size of Fruit: Smaller than a Quarter 

Fruit Fleshiness: Fleshy 

Shape of Fruit: Spherical    

Color of Fruit at Maturity: Bluish/Black

Fruit Desirable to Birds or Squirrels: No   

Common Name(s): Lilyturf, Liriope

Louisville Plants That Are Most Easily Confused With This One: Monkey Grass or Mondo Grass

Unique Morphological Features of Plant: The flower eventually turns into the fruit.

Poisonous: N/A

Pestiness (weedy, hard to control): No

Page prepared by:           

Raechel J. Davis                                    

November 2004