POACEAE

Schizachyrium scoparium

Common Name:  Little Bluestem (Although this grass has a similar common name to "Big Bluestem", they are not even in the same genus - "Big Bluestem" is Andropogon gerardii)

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habit (bunchgrass) and winter color--a nice amber old inflorescences with fruits (caryopses)
another old inflorescence habit in late summer--this field is almost solid little bluestem.  These plants have just begun to flower.

 

Want to see more pictures of this species?  The following websites have some good pictures of little bluestem too:

http://www.noble.org/imagegallery/grasshtml/LittleBluestem.html

http://160.94.78.21/flora/pictures/schizachyrium-scoparium.html

http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~kenr/prairiephotos/Andrscop-fruits.jpg (ignore the "Andropogon scoparius" in the picture--this is an older name for this species)

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