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Strickland, Sam C.
Schizachyrium scoparium
Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash
Little Bluestem, Popotillo Azul
Poaceae (Grass Family)
Synonym(s):
USDA Symbol: scsc
USDA Native Status: L48 (N), HI (I), CAN (N)
Little Bluestem is a very ornamental bunchgrass with fine-textured foliage that forms very dense mounds 18-24 inches tall. Slender blue-green stems often reach 5 feet, or more, by September, and become radiant mahogany-red with white, shining seed tufts in the fall. Color remains nearly all winter. Perennial clumps grow up to a foot in diameter.
This mid-prairie species gets its name from the bluish color of the stem bases in the spring, but most striking is the plant's reddish-tan color in fall, persisting through winter snows. The seeds, fuzzy white at maturity, are of particular value to small birds in winter. A related species, Big Bluestem or Turkeyfoot (Andropogon gerardii), has finger-like seed heads that somewhat resemble a turkey's foot. It reaches a height of 12 feet in favorable bottomland sites and is also one of the East's most important native prairie grasses.
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Grass/Grass-like
Root Type: Fibrous
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Venation: Parallel
Fruit Type: Caryopsis
Size Notes: Up to about 7 feet tall, often shorter.
Leaf: Gray-Green
Autumn Foliage: yes
Fruit: Purple
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: White , Green , BrownBloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov , Dec
Distribution
USA: AL , AR , AZ , CA , CO , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , HI , IA , ID , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , MT , NC , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , SD , TN , TX , UT , VA , VT , WA , WI , WV , WYCanada: AB , BC , MB , NB , NS , ON , SK
Native Distribution: Que. & ME to Alt. & ID, south through much of the US east of the Rockies, south to Tabasco in southeastern Mexico
Native Habitat: Woodlands' edge, Opening, Hillsides, Slopes, Prairie, Plains, Meadows, Pastures, Savannas
Growing Conditions
Water Use: LowLight Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
CaCO3 Tolerance: High
Drought Tolerance: High
Soil Description: Well-drained soil. Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay, Limestone-based
Conditions Comments: Little bluestem is wonderful planted en masse. The visual dynamics it provides range from blue-green in late summer to golden with cotton-tufted seedheads in winter. It readily reseeds so little bluestem is not recommended for small gardens. Little bluestem is tolerant of a wide range of soils but will not tolerate wetlands or sub-irrigated sites.
Benefit
Use Ornamental: Fall conspicuous, Grows in clumps, AccentUse Wildlife: Graze, Cover, Nesting material, Seeds-Small mammals, Seeds-granivorous birds.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Interesting Foliage: yes
Attracts: Birds , Butterflies
Larval Host: Ottoe Skipper, Indian Skipper, Crossline Skipper, Dusted Skipper, Cobweb butterfly, Dixie skipper
Deer Resistant: High
Value to Beneficial Insects
Provides Nesting Materials/Structure for Native BeesThis information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)
|
Dusted Skipper (Atrytonopsis hianna)  Larval Host |
Indian Skipper (Hesperia sassacus)  Larval Host |
Crossline Skipper (Polites origenes)  Larval Host |
Ottoe Skipper (Hesperia ottoe)  Larval Host |
Propagation
Propagation Material: Root DivisionDescription: Easily propagated
Seed Collection: Sep. and Oct.
Seed Treatment: Dry stratification
Commercially Avail: yes
Find Seed or Plants
Order seed of this species from Native American Seed and help support the Wildflower Center.
Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.
View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.
Mr. Smarty Plants says
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August 07, 2008
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National Wetland Indicator Status
| Region: | AGCP | AK | AW | CB | EMP | GP | HI | MW | NCNE | WMVE |
| Status: | FACU | FACU | FACU | FACU | UPL | FACU | FACU | FACU |
From the National Organizations Directory
According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
Native Plant Center at Westchester Community College, The - Valhalla, NY
Delaware Nature Society - Hockessin, DE
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX
Patsy Glenn Refuge, c/o Wimberley Birding Society - Wimberley, TX
NPSOT - Native Plant Society of Texas - Fredericksburg, TX
Stengl Biological Research Station - Smithville, TX
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department - Austin, TX
NPSOT - Fredericksburg Chapter - Fredericksburg, TX
North American Native Plant Society - Etobicoke, ON
Texas Master Naturalists - Lost Pines Chapter - Bastrop, TX
NPSOT - Austin Chapter - Austin, TX
Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR
Jacob's Well Natural Area - Wimberley, TX
NPSOT - Williamson County Chapter - Georgetown, TX
Mt. Cuba Center - Hockessin, DE
Wildflower Center Seed Bank
LBJWC-61 Collected 2006-11-12 in Travis County by Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower CenterBibliography
Bibref 1186 - Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America (2005) Covell, C.V., Jr.Bibref 1185 - Field Guide to Western Butterflies (Peterson Field Guides) (1999) Opler, P.A. and A.B. Wright
Bibref 1620 - Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Reprint Edition) (2009) Wasowski, S. with A. Wasowski
Bibref 946 - Gardening with Prairie Plants: How to Create Beautiful Native Landscapes (2002) Wasowski, Sally
Bibref 841 - Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (2006) Burrell, C. C.
Bibref 318 - Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski
Bibref 291 - Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife (1999) Damude, N. & K.C. Bender
Bibref 1294 - The Midwestern Native Garden: Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers and Plants An Illustrated Guide (2011) Adelman, Charlotte and Schwartz, Bernard L.
Search More Titles in Bibliography
Web Reference
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.Research Literature
Reslit 242 - Plant regeneration of creeping bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash var. Stoloniferum (Nash) J. Wipff) via somatic embryogenesis (2001) T. Chakravarty, J. G. Norcini, J. H. Aldrich and R...Reslit 179 - Relative Rooting Depths of Native Grasses and Amenity Grasses with Potential for Use on Roadsides in New England (2010) R. N. Brown, C. Percivalle, S. Narkiewicz and S. D...
Reslit 351 - Evidence for Host Mycorrhizal Preference in Native Grassland Species (1992) S. S. Dhillion
Reslit 352 - Growth Dynamics and Associated Mycorrhizal Fungi of Little Bluestem Grass [Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx) Nash] on Burned and Unburned Sand Prairies (1993) S. S. Dhillion and R. C. Anderson
Reslit 341 - Structural attributes of Schizachyrium scoparium in restored Texas Blackland prairies (2004) J. D. Derner, H. W. Polley, H. B. Johnson and C. R...
Reslit 542 - Nutrient addition affects AM fungal performance and expression of plant/fungal feedback in three serpentine grasses (2004) D. J. Gustafson and B. B. Casper
Reslit 578 - Effects of bison grazing, fire, and topography on floristic diversity in tallgrass prairie (1996) D. C. Hartnett, K. R. Hickman and L. E. F. Walter
Reslit 632 - Establishing North American prairie vegetation in urban parks in northern England - Part 1. Effect of sowing season, sowing rate and soil type (2004) J. Hitchmough, M. de la Fleur and C. Findlay
Reslit 656 - Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) variation among native little bluestem [Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash] populations from sites of high and low fertility in forest and grassland biomes (1998) D. R. Huff, J. A. Quinn, B. Higgins and A. J. Pala...
Reslit 714 - Response of Creeping Bluestem to Varying Month of Burn and Soil-Water Conditions (1995) R. Kalmbacher and F. G. Martin
This information was provided by the Florida WIldflower Foundation.
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From the Archive
Wildflower Newsletter 1985 VOL. 2, NO.4 - Message From Helen Hayes, Head for the Hill Country, Spring Tours at the Center,...Wildflower Newsletter 1986 VOL. 3, NO.3 - Fall Planting Tips, Growth Provides Enthusiasm, 1985 Financial Facts, Gathering ...
Wildflower Newsletter 1989 VOL. 6, NO.4 - Spring Climbs Rockies Slowly, Colorado Cooler, Conference of Wildflower and Nati...
Wildflower Newsletter 1998 VOL. 15, NO.4 - Grasses from the Ground Up, Celebrating Wildflowers Hotline, Executive Director\...
Additional resources
USDA: Find Schizachyrium scoparium in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Schizachyrium scoparium in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Schizachyrium scoparium
Metadata
Record Modified: 2023-01-26Research By: TWC Staff