Indian Grass, Sorghastrum nutans, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

	Grasses of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Height	Prime Season
	Indian Grass	Sorghastrum nutans (L). Nash	Poaceae (Grasses)	Upland	5 to 7 feet	August and September
	Native Status	Indian Grass is native to the entire U.S. and lower Canadian Provinces from the Rocky Mountains eastward. In Minnesota it is generally found in most counties except those of the NE Quadrant.
Notes	Indian grass is a warm season grass, growing to 5 feet in height. It was once one of the major plants of the tall-grass prairies that covered much of the central and eastern United States. Leaf blades are up to 3/8" wide (10mm) and up to 20 inches (50cm) long. They are flat, dull green to yellow-green, narrowed at the base, both upper and lower surface rough. Where the leaf sheath attached to the stem, the ligule forms a distinct so-called "rifle-sight", even identifiable when the plant is young (see photo below). The seed head is a single narrow plume like panicle that is much-branched, being 5 to 12" long. They appear dense because of the many spikelets and the whitish hair on the branches and on the spikelet stalks. Seeds are very light, about 175,000 to the pound and have a small twisted awn attached. (Awns are bristle-like appendages at the tip of the seed that can make a twisting response to temperature and humidly changes and thus help the seed to work into the soil). It can become invasive in certain habitats but makes excellent wildlife habitat and is a good forage plant. It frequently grows with Big Bluestem. Cultivars are available for the home landscape. The University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum has had good success with "Sioux Blue". The species name nutans means nodding or drooping and refers to the position of the spikelet branches at maturity.


Above and top left: A stand of Indian Grass in the Garden. Photos ©Phoebe Waugh.	Above: Drawing of Indian Grass courtesy USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Vol. 1: 120.
Below: The seed head of Indian Grass. Left - at mid-August, right - at late August-early Sept. Photo ©Phoebe Waugh.

Below left: The panicle approaching maturity and right: The whitish hairs on the spiklet stalks make the panicle appear dense.

Below: View of the stem, sheath and ligule. Note the narrowing of the blade as it approaches the stem.	Below: The characteristic "rifle-sight" stem ligule of Indian Grass, seen best in the early growth stage.

Notes: This grass is indigenous to the Garden. Eloise Butler catalogued it in her early Garden records.

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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 28c, W2, W3, W5 & W6. Distribution principally from W2 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4 & 4a. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.

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