Schizachyrium little blue stem grass2/11/2024 ![]() Common name is in reference to the lavender-blue color on the stem bases. The narrow erect clumps may grow to 2 to 4 feet tall with an equal spread. It is native to eastern North America and is found naturally in a wide range of moist to dry habitats. Genus name comes from the Latin schizein meaning to split and achyron meaning chaff. Little bluestem is a perennial, ornamental, warm season grass in the Poaceae (grass) family with attractive foliage. ![]() The seeds are eaten by many species of birds. Flowers are followed by clusters of fluffy, silvery-white seed heads which are attractive and often persist into winter. Cut back old stems to 2-3 above ground-level in mid-spring. This native prairie grass is essential for the habitat garden providing seeds for birds and the leaves are food plants for various butterfly species. Slender, flat, linear leaves (1/4 wide) emerge light blue in spring, darken to gray-green in summer, acquire purple. It typically grows in an erect, broom-like clump to 2-3’ tall. Blaze is a little bluestem cultivar that is noted for its vivid red fall foliage. 4 The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words ( schizein ), meaning 'to split,' and ( achyron ), meaning 'chaff.' It refers to either the glume or the toothed lemmas. Common name is in reference to the lavender-blue color on the stem bases. Prairie Winds® Blue Paradise Schizachyrium scoparium USPP 28,145, Can 5,650. Schizachyrium is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. Purplish-bronze flowers appear in 3” long racemes on branched stems rising above the foliage in August. Schizachyrium scoparium Prairie Blues is a seed grown selection of Little Bluestem that has very attractive blue foliage. Maintenance Notes: This easy-to-grow grass does best in full sun and dry to average, well-drained soil. The foliage turns shades of bronze-orange in the fall. It typically matures to 2-4’ (less frequently to 5’) tall, and features upright clumps of slender, flat, linear green leaves (to 1/4“ wide), with each leaf having a tinge of blue at the base. It also copes better in clay soils than the main species. The deep red fall foliage fades to shades of pink. Blaze: Select this cultivar for winter interest. It was one of the dominant grasses of the vast tallgrass prairie region which once covered rich and fertile soils in many parts of central North America. Due to its rising popularity, there is a growing range of little bluestem cultivars to choose from. Schizachyrium scoparium, commonly called little bluestem, is native to prairies, fields, clearings, hills, limestone glades, roadsides, waste areas and open woods from Alberta to Quebec south to Arizona and Florida.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |