Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash

Yellow Indian Grass; Indian Reed

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Yellow Indian Grass is a native perennial warm season bunch grass in the Grass family (Poaceae). It is found throughout Alabama in prairies and dry open woodlands. It is a major component of the Tall Grass Prairie and savannah grasslands of the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Yellow Indian Grass grows from three to seven feet in height. It has alternate leaves up to two feet long. Most of the leaves are near the base of the plant. The flowers are produced in one flowered spikelets in panicles. Each spikelet has two glumes and two lemmas. The glumes are tan, and one is covered in short white hairs. The fertile lemma has a hair-like awn about half an inch in length. Each flower has three yellow stamens and two white feather-like stigmas. The root system is fibrous with short rhizomes. This grass is the larval host plant for the Pepper and Salt Skipper (Amblyscirtes hegon). Yellow Indian Grass is consumed by many herbivores including bison, white tailed deer, cattle, and rabbits. The seed are consumed by many song birds. Yellow Indian Grass is available from many wildflower nurseries as plants or seed. It tolerates drought well, and grows on a variety of soils. Cultivars with blue-green foliage are available. Yellow Indian Grass is an ideal native grass for prairies and wildflower meadows, and can be used as an accent plant or as a back planting for perennial beds.--A. Diamond

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Native FACU (NWPL)

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