Indian Grass

Notes:

Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans [ L.] Nash), is a native, rhizomatous, perennial, warm-season bunchgrass. It is a major component of the tall grass vegetation which dominated the prairies of the central and eastern United States. It is common in longleaf pine understory communities. Indiangrass grows 3 to 7 feet tall. Even when young, it can be distinguished by the “rifle-sight” ligule occurring where the leaf blade attaches to the leaf sheath. The leaf blades grow to 3 feet long, and narrow at the point of attachment. The seed head is a single, narrow, bronze-yellow plume-like panicle maturing to brown. The seed is light and fluffy with small awns attached. There are approximately 175,000 seeds per pound. Indiangrass is adapted from Florida, north to Canada, and west to North Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah. It grows well in deep, well-drained floodplain soils and in well-drained upland sandy loam soils. It is tolerant of poor and welldrained soils, acid to alkaline conditions, and textures from sand to clay.