''Sorghastrum nutans'', commonly known as either Indiangrass or yellow Indiangrass,
is a
North American
prairie
Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
grass found in the central and eastern United States and Canada, especially in the
Great Plains and
tallgrass prairie
The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America. Historically, natural and anthropogenic fire, as well as grazing by large mammals (primarily bison) provided periodic disturbances to these ecosystems, limiting the encroachm ...
s.
Description
Indiangrass is a
warm-season perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...
bunchgrass
Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perenni ...
. It is intolerant to shade. It grows tall, and is distinguished by a "rifle-sight"
ligule where the leaf blade attaches to the leaf sheath. The leaf is about long.
It blooms from late summer to early fall, producing branched clusters (
panicles) of
spikelet
A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the flowers of grasses, sedges and some other Monocots.
Each spikelet has one or more florets. The spikelets are further grouped into panicles or spikes. The part of the spikelet that ...
s. The spikelets are golden-brown during the blooming period, and each contain one perfect
floret
This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...
that has three large, showy yellow
stamens and two feather-like
stigmas. One of the two
glume
In botany, a glume is a bract (leaf-like structure) below a spikelet in the inflorescence (flower cluster) of grasses (Poaceae) or the flowers of sedges (Cyperaceae). There are two other types of bracts in the spikelets of grasses: the lemma and ...
s at the base of the spikelets is covered in silky white hairs. The flowers are
cross-pollinated by the wind.
The branches of pollinated flower clusters bend outwards. At maturity, the seeds fall to the ground.
There are about 175,000 seeds per pound.
SorghastrumNutans.jpg, Leaves in June
Sorghastrum nutans (3912211835).jpg, "Rifle-sight" ligule at the base of a leaf
Sorghastrum nutans flowers closeup.jpg, Flowers with yellow stamens and golden-brown spikelets
Sorghastrum nutans ARS-1.jpg, Closeup of seeds
Ecology
''Sorghastrum nutans'' is prominent in the
tallgrass prairie
The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America. Historically, natural and anthropogenic fire, as well as grazing by large mammals (primarily bison) provided periodic disturbances to these ecosystems, limiting the encroachm ...
ecosystem and the
northern,
central, and
Flint Hills
The Flint Hills, historically known as Bluestem Pastures or Blue Stem Hills, are a region in eastern Kansas and north-central Oklahoma named for the abundant residual flint eroded from the bedrock that lies near or at the surface. It consists of ...
tall grassland
ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...
s, along with
big bluestem (''Andropogon gerardi''),
little bluestem (''Schizachyrium scoparium'') and
switchgrass (''Panicum virgatum''). It is also common in areas of
longleaf pine
The longleaf pine (''Pinus palustris'') is a pine species native to the Southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from East Texas to southern Virginia, extending into northern and central Florida. In this area it is also known as ...
.
It is adapted in the United States from the southern border to Canada and from the eastern seaboard to Montana, Wyoming and Utah.
["Indiangrass."](_blank)
Plant Fact Sheet.2011. Accessed July 26, 2015
It regrows with renewed vitality after fires, so controlled burns are used, replacing extirpated large herbivores (i.e. bison), for habitat renewal.
It is a larval host to the
pepper-and-salt skipper
''Amblyscirtes hegon'', the pepper-and-salt skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found from Nova Scotia and Maine, west to southern Manitoba, south to Georgia, northern Florida and south-eastern Texas. It is mostly absent fr ...
.
[The Xerces Society (2016), ''Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects'', Timber Press.]
Culture
Indiangrass is the official
state grass
The following is a list of official U.S. state grasses.
__TOC__
Table
See also
* Lists of U.S. state insignia
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of U.S. State Grasses
.
*
Grasses
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly u ...
of both
Oklahoma and
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
.
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service lists the following uses for Indiangrass:
*Erosion control
*Livestock
*Pollinators
*Restoration
*Wildlife
See also
*
Shortgrass prairie
The shortgrass prairie is an ecosystem located in the Great Plains of North America. The two most dominant grasses in the shortgrass prairie are blue grama (''Bouteloua gracilis'') and buffalograss ('' Bouteloua dactyloides''), the two less domi ...
— ''Great Plains''
*
Tallgrass prairie
The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America. Historically, natural and anthropogenic fire, as well as grazing by large mammals (primarily bison) provided periodic disturbances to these ecosystems, limiting the encroachm ...
References
External links
USDA Plants Profile — ''Sorghastrum nutans'' (Yellow Indiangrass)Missouri Botanical Garden: ''Sorghastrum nutans''— ''horticultural info.''
Floridata: Yellow Indiangrass*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3046578
Panicoideae
Grasses of North America
Bunchgrasses of North America
Warm-season grasses of North America
Grasses of the United States
Grasses of Canada
Native grasses of the Great Plains region
Flora of the United States
Flora of the Canadian Prairies
Flora of the Western United States
Flora of the Eastern United States
Flora of North America
Plants described in 1903
Flora without expected TNC conservation status