Santa Fe Botanical Garden

Common name: little bluestem

Family: Poaceae (Grass)

Distribution: North America

Habitat: Grasslands, pinyon-juniper, oak or ponderosa pine woodlands, montane grasslands

Hardiness: USDA Zone 3 (-40 to -30 °F)

Life form: Grasses

Occurrence in New Mexico: New Mexico native plant

Growing Conditions: Little bluestem is one of the grasses that used to dominate the Great Plains of North America. Its native range also includes the eastern and intermountain regions of Canada and the United States, and extends south to central Mexico. It is abundant, but exhibits considerable clinal variability in remaining tall-grass and mixed-grass prairies. It also grows on sandy barrens, in open oak, juniper and pine woodlands, on foredunes of the Great Lakes, and in mountain meadows at elevations from 5,000-8,000 feet. Little bluestem grows throughout New Mexico on plains, hills, rocky slopes, and in woodlands; it is a dominant grass at some sandy sites on the eastern plains. Although it thrives in the nutritionally rich sandy loam soil of the Great Plains, it also performs well in poor soils, including clay. It prefers well-drained soil in full sun. When established, it has good drought resistance. It is a good choice for meadows, natural gardens, and hot sunny areas.

Description: Little bluestem is a densely tufted grass that grows 2-3 feet tall, with stems and leaves that turn brown or wine-red and remain upright throughout winter. The leaves grow primarily along the lower half of the culms (stems). The bluish-green leaf blades are up to 10 inches long and ¼ inch across, and may curve upward along their margins. The leaf sheaths are tight along the culms and open toward their tips. The nodes are prominent and the membranous ligules are white. In late summer or autumn, an inflorescence consisting of several floral racemes is produced at the end of culms. Each floral raceme is 1½-3 inches long, with a slender stalk. The central stalk (rachis) of the raceme is covered by white hairs, and when mature, the stalk zigzags between spikelets with awns. The grass has both fibrous roots and short rhizomes.