Scientific Name:
Schizachyrium scoparium
Pronunciation:
skizz-uh-KEER-ee-um skoe-PAIR-ee-um
Common Name:
bluestem grass, little bluestem
Family Name:
Poaceae
Plant Type:
Poales (grass-like)
Key ID Features:
Leaves long, linear, flat, about 4mm wide, turning orange to bronze in fall; spikelets in rows on branched stems above the foliage in August, purplish-bronze.
Habit:
Arching, Open, Spreading, Upright
Form:
Oval - vertical
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
North America
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Low
Landscape Uses:
Accent plant, Container planting, Dried flower or fruit, Erosion control, Fall interest, Group or mass planting
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars on campus may include S. 'Prairie Blues'
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Grass-like
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Parallel venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Summer:
Green, Silver / Grayish
Colour in Fall:
Orange, Pink, Purple, Bronze
Shapes:
Linear
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Sheathing
Margins:
Entire
Additional Info:
Spectacular fall colour
Inflorescence Type:
Spikelet, Floriferous, Panicle-like
Flower Morphology:
Colour (petals):
Showy, Brown
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Aug, Sep
Fruit Type:
Grain (caryopsis)
Fruit Colour:
White, Silver
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Persistent,
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Propagation:
Seed, Division - below ground parts
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant, Drought tolerant)
Course(s):
- HORT 2355
Location(s):
- (BCE) Boulevard (Circular) Eastend
- (NRY) NuRserY : cv. Prairie blues