Porcupine Grass, Hesperostipa spartea, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

	Grasses of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Height	Prime Season
	Porcupine Grass	Hesperostipa spartea (Trin.) Barkworth	Poaceae (Grasses)	Upland	2 to 4 feet	Early Summer
	Native Status	Porcupine Grass is a perennial native to the dry and moist prairies and plains within the central states from the Rocky Mountains eastward to the Great Lakes area and also to the lower central Canadian Provinces. In Minnesota it is found throughout the state except counties in the NE quadrant.
Notes	Porcupine Grass is a cool-season bunching grass, that has an erect stem. Roots are fibrous. The leaves are up to 3/8" wide, up to 15" long, flat to slightly convolute, rough on top, smooth and distinctly veined under. The grass becomes conspicuous when the large drooping flower heads produce seed, which at the upper end has a large awn (a bristle-like appendage). This awn responds to changes in atmospheric moisture by coiling and uncoiling and by doing so ratchets and drills the very sharp point at the base end of the seed into the soil, thereby planting it. Because of this sharp point (and hence the name "porcupine grass"), anyone using it for forage should realize that when it matures, it is injurious to cattle - even though is is an excellent choice to add texture and color to the home garden. The normal growth range of this species is elevations of 200 to 2800 feet. There is a similar but smaller species, H. curtiseta, called Small Porcupine Grass. The older scientific name for this grass was Stipa spartea.


Photo above and top left ©Merel R. Black, University of Wisconsin Steven's Point.	Drawing above courtesy of NRCS PLANTS Database / Hitchcock, A.S. (rev. A. Chase). 1950. Manual of the grasses of the United States. USDA Miscellaneous Publication No. 200. Washington, DC.
Below: The sharp tip at the base of the seed which works it's way into the soil by the twisting action of the large awn at the opposite end of the seed. Photo © Robert W. Freckmann, Freckmann Herbarium, University of Wisconsin, Steven's Point.

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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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