Dig into Plants: Little Bluestem

Little Bluestem

Scientific Name: Schizachyrium scoparium

Native to Alabama: Yes

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Sally and Andy Wasowski

Learn More About...

Basic Plant Information

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Sally and Andy Wasowski

I am a vascular plant with no woody stems and narrow blade-like sheathed leaves, so I am a grass.
I do not keep leaves year-round, so I am deciduous.
I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial.
I can grow 2 – 4 feet high and 1.5 – 2 feet wide.

Ecological Benefits

This plant provides food for:

Butterflies

Caterpillars
Dusted Skipper, Crossline Skipper, Cobweb Skipper

Other Birds

Maintenance Notes

Dormant in winter, but leaves remain copper colored with fuzzy seed-heads throughout the winter.
Cut plant to the ground in late winter or early spring to promote new growth.
When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds. Water should reach all roots.
Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves.
Requires dry soil at all times.

Dry soil: water once per week.

Habitat Requirements

This plant prefers:

Full Sun
(6+ hours of sun per day)

Dry Soil

Well-drained, Sandy, Loamy, Clay, or Limestone soil

Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Carolyn Fannon

LEAF DESCRIPTION

Leaves are green-gray with a bluish tint; thin, slender, and flat about 0.25 inches wide; sheath is glabrous and keeled; bronze-copper colored in the fall and remain this color throughout the winter.

Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)


Shape: Linear	Margin: Entire/Smooth

Arrangement: Alternate	Form: Simple

Minnesota Wildflowers – Katy Chayka

FLOWER DESCRIPTION

Purplish flowers are produced in pairs of spikelets arranged in an inflorescence; appear as a spike-like cluster located at the top of each branch; each cluster is 1-3 inches long

Flower Shape Chart (JPG)


Color: Purple/ Lavender	Shape: Spike-like cluster	Bloom Months: July – Oct

flickr – Tony Ernst

SEED DESCRIPTION

Plant spreads by:
Seeds
In the fall, the spikelet of flowers spreads out along with the hairs on the inflorescence, giving the seed head a silvery white, fuzzy appearance that is attractive to wildlife. The seed itself is a brownish purple spindle shaped seed that tapers to a point.


Type: Fruit – Caryopsis (dry, one-seeded fruit; seed coat fused to fruit wall)	Description: Seed heads are fluffy/ fuzzy and silver-white	Months in Seed: Fall – Winter

Plant Life Cycle

Plant Life Cycle:

All plants start life as a seed.
The seed turns into a sprout when it grows roots.
The sprout becomes a seedling as grows a stem and leaves above the ground.
After the seedling becomes an adult plant it will grow flowers.
After the flowers finish blooming, each flower turns into a seed.
When the seeds fall down to the ground, the plant life cycle starts again.
Each seed can become a plant if it has the food, water and space that it needs to grow.

General Plant Life Cycle – Dreamstime

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Quick Fact Sheet
(Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Ready as-is PDF

QR Code
(Links to this Webpage)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Editable Word Doc

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Editable Word Doc

FOLLOW US

JOIN/RENEW

SHOP

QUICK LINKS

HABITAT LEARNING LAB: