List of Annual Grass Seeds

Striped Corn

• Striped corn, Zea mays, is an annual grass that grows 3 to 15 feet tall with wide, green leaves and striped green, pink and yellow foliage. The corn produces 800 seeds on a typical ear with the large, round seeds at the ear's base and the small, round seeds at the ear's tip. Each striped corn seed is classified as a caryopsis because it's a one-celled fruit that includes a tightly fused ovary wall. Striped corn prefers full sun and thrives in well-drained soil.

Hare's - Tail Grass

• Hare's - tail grass, Lagurus ovatus, grows 12 to 24 inches tall in areas with full sun and sandy, well-drained soil. The annual grass produces a 2 inch long seed head that is used in dried arrangements. The tough, dense seed heads are impenetrable and resist shattering. When fully grown, hare's - tail grass produces soft, green foliage with white, oval flowers.

Purple Dwarf Fountain Grass

• Purple dwarf fountain grass, Pennisetum setaceum, grows 3 to 4 feet tall and prefers full sun and well-drained soil. This annual grass grows in a variety of cultivars. These cultivars include Rubrum, which grows 5 feet tall with dark purple foliage, Burgundy Giant, which also grows 5 feet tall but with red foliage and the Atrosanguineum, which grows 3 to 4 feet tall and contains burgundy foliage. Purple dwarf fountain grass produces 8 inch, red to purple seed heads that easily shatter.

Job's Tears

• Job's tears, Coix lacryma-jobi, is an annual grass that produces long stalks with gray and black seeds. The grass grows 3 to 4 feet tall, prefers well-drained soil and thrives in areas with full sun to partial shade.