Indian Grass

Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans [ L.] Nash), is a native,
rhizomatous, perennial, warm-season bunchgrass. It is a
major component of the tall grass vegetation which
dominated the prairies of the central and eastern United
States. It is common in longleaf pine understory
communities. Indiangrass grows 3 to 7 feet tall. Even
when young, it can be distinguished by the “rifle-sight”
ligule occurring where the leaf blade attaches to the leaf
sheath. The leaf blades grow to 3 feet long, and narrow at
the point of attachment. The seed head is a single, narrow,
bronze-yellow plume-like panicle maturing to brown. The
seed is light and fluffy with small awns attached. There
are approximately 175,000 seeds per pound. Indiangrass
is adapted from Florida, north to Canada, and west to
North Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah. It grows well in
deep, well-drained floodplain soils and in well-drained
upland sandy loam soils. It is tolerant of poor and welldrained
soils, acid to alkaline conditions, and textures
from sand to clay.