Myriad Botanical Gardens - Oklahoma City, USA

Common name: Little Bluestem

Family: Poaceae (Grass Family)

Distribution: North America

IUCN Red list: Not evaluated

Hardiness: 3a

Life form: Perennial plant

Comments: Schizachyrium scoparium, commonly called little bluestem, is one of the dominant grasses of the tallgrass prairie. It forms upright clumps of slender green leaves with a tinge of blue at the base. In August, purplish-bronze flowers appear in 3" long racemes on branched stems rising above the foliage. Attractive clusters of fluffy, silvery-white seed heads appear after the flowers, and may persist into winter. Most outstanding feature of this grass may be the bronze-orange fall foliage color.