General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Grass/Grass-like
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Dry Mesic
Dry
Soil pH Preferences: Neutral (6.6 – 7.3)
Slightly alkaline (7.4 – 7.8)
Moderately alkaline (7.9 – 8.4)
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 3 -40 °C (-40 °F) to -37.2 °C (-35)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 9b
Plant Height: 2 to 3 feet (61-91cm); 18 inches on droughty sites to 3 feet on deep, fertile soils.
Plant Spread: 18 to 24 inches (46-61cm)
Leaves: Good fall color
Unusual foliage color
Other: leaves turn an attractive reddish rusty color after frost
Fruit: Showy
Other: The seed develops to a fluffy silver-white in clusters to about three inches long. The plumes are showy when seed has matured and can add interest to a cut arrangement.
Bloom Size: Under 1"
Flower Time: Late summer or early fall
Suitable Locations: Xeriscapic
Uses: Provides winter interest
Erosion control
Cut Flower
Will Naturalize
Wildlife Attractant: Birds
Resistances: Deer Resistant
Drought tolerant
Propagation: Seeds: Suitable for wintersowing
Other info: approximately 240000 seeds per pound
Propagation: Other methods: Division
Miscellaneous: Tolerates poor soil
Conservation status: Least Concern (LC)

Conservation status:
Conservation status: Least Concern
Image
Common names
  • Little Bluestem
  • Beard Grass
Botanical names
  • Accepted: Schizachyrium scoparium
  • Synonym: Andropogon scoparius

Photo Gallery
Location: My garden in Ontario, Canada
Date: 2023-09-15
Self-sown seedling from 'The Blues'
Location: Fairfax, VA
Date: 2022-03-30
Location: Zilker Nature Preserve, Austin, Texas
Date: 2022-04-05
Location: Central Texas
Date: 2019-02-21
This makes a beautiful potted plant for fall and winter interest.
Location: Lockport, Illinois
Date: 2013-08-14
closer shot of group plants
Location: Brownstown PA 17508
Date: 2021-06-26
Location: Fairfax, VA | June, 2022
Date: 2022-06-12
Location: Fairfax, VA | June, 2022
Date: 2022-06-13
Location: Fairfax, VA | June, 2022
Date: 2022-06-13
Location: Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2015-05-31
clump before flowering stems in late May
Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2010-08-30

Date: 2008-01-26
Southwest Nature Preserve.
Photo by sedumzz
Location: Fairfax, VA | November, 2023
Date: 2023-11-04
Location: Fairfax, VA | June, 2022
Date: 2022-06-12
Location: Fairfax, VA | June, 2022
Date: 2022-06-12
Location: Lilburn, GA
Date: 2020-04-23
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2010-08-30
Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2010-08-30
Location: Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2022-01-07
several plants in winter
Location: Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2014-12-17
fall color
Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2015-07-30
Took 6 days to germinate
Location: Growing at Scott Arboretum.
Date: 2015-07-25
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date: 2020-09-17
Seedling of S. s. 'The Blues'
Location: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Date: 2017-10-10

Photo courtesy of: Tom Potterfield

Photo courtesy of: Tom Potterfield
Location: Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI
Date: 2010-08-30
Location: Fermilab, Batavia, Illinois
Date: 2016-07-19
big planting in a logo form
Location: Fermilab, Batavia, Illinois
Date: 2016-07-19
closer shot of big planting
Location: Lockport, Illinois
Date: 2013-08-14
maturing grasses in planting bed
Location: Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2015-07-14
clump with flowering stems beginning
Location: Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2010-11-10
fall seed
Location: Tennessee
courtesy Sunlight Gardens, www.sunlightgardens.com
Location: Mercer Botanical Garden  Houston, Tx
Date: 2014-05-19
Location: Goshen, Indiana
Date: January

Photo Courtesy of Prairie Nursery. Used with Permission
  • Uploaded by Joy

Photo Courtesy of Prairie Nursery. Used with Permission
  • Uploaded by Joy

Photo Courtesy of Prairie Nursery. Used with Permission
  • Uploaded by Joy

photo credit: Matt Lavin

Photo courtesy of: Tom Potterfield
This plant is tagged in:
Image Image

Comments:
  • Posted by Catmint20906 (PNW WA half hour south of Olympia - Zone 8a) on Aug 8, 2014 7:57 AM concerning plant:
    Schizachyrium scoparium is a larval host plant for numerous Skipper Butterflies, including Aragos Skipper, Dusted Skipper, Leonard's Skipper, Cobweb Skipper, Indian Skipper, Swarthy Skipper, and Crossline Skipper.

    According to NPIN, this plant also provides nesting materials and structure for native bees, as well as cover and seeds for birds.
  • Posted by ILPARW (southeast Pennsylvania - Zone 6b) on Feb 8, 2018 12:13 PM concerning plant:
    Little Bluestem is my favorite ornamental grass. It is beautiful but not real flashy. It is easy to work with and feels good to touch. It is native to eastern North America, It is one of the major prairie grasses of the Midwest and it is found wild in special areas of the East in dry soils as at the dunes of the Delmarva Peninsula shore and in the serpentine barrens of southeast PA and northern MD. It is sold at a few larger, diverse conventional nurseries, by some mail order nurseries, but mostly by any native plant nursery. I bought mine by mail from Prairie Nursery in central Wisconsin. It is not at all common in the average yard and landscape; I'm probably the only one in my town that has some. It is used by some professional landscapers that know about it and it is often used by those who love native plant landscapes. This clump grass does lodge some when its flowering stems get full-sized in later summer, but in autumn its foliage and stems become dry and then it stands upright again. It gets a nice orangy fall color and it does well all during winter to be left alone. One can cut the grass down in early spring. One can also set fire to the low crown a few inches high after the plant is cut down, and it likes the burn and springs back soon. In prairie or native plant restorations on parkland or forest preserves, land managers burn their native meadow or prairie in early spring to rejuvenate the vegetative mass and help keep out invasive plants.
  • Posted by SongofJoy (Clarksville, TN - Zone 6b) on Jan 15, 2012 8:07 AM concerning plant:
    Growing only 2 to 3 feet tall, Little Bluestem works well in natural prairie plantings or grouped with other perennials. It also has very nice green, blue, and later red coloring. Fall seed stalks are fluffy white and delicate. Good for back-lighting. This plant can take drier conditions.
Plant Events from our members
jhugart On May 5, 2020 Plant emerged
Noticed new leaves today.
jhugart On June 2, 2019 Transplanted
Put in the ground. Two plants.
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