Characteristics:

At maturity, they reach about 2 to 4 feet tall, with some rarely reaching 5 feet. They form clumps of thin, flat, green leaves that each sport a hint of blue glowing from the base. Their flowers are 3 inch long racemes, that create a spray of purplish-bronze above the foliage in late summer. Their attractive seed heads that hang on through the winter, are silvery-white and fluffy. (MBG)

History:

Little Blue Stem was a main character in the symphony of grasses in the great prairies that covered a large percentage of North America. 

Habitat:

Prairies, hills, open woods

Etymology:

Shizien is Latin for “split” and achyron means “chaff.”

Scoparium means broomlike.

Schizachirium scoparium

Little Bluestem

Type: ornamental grass

Family: Poaceae

Height: 2 to 4 ft

Spread: 1.5 to 2 ft

Bloom: purplish bronze, August to February

Sun: full sun

Water: dry to medium

Tolerates: deer, drought, erosion, dry soil, shallow-rocky soil, air pollution

Plant Communities