North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium

Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash var. scoparium

common little bluestem

Synonym(s): Andropogon praematurus, Andropogon scoparius, Andropogon scoparius var. ducis, Andropogon scoparius var. frequens, Andropogon scoparius var. neomexicanus, Andropogon scoparius var. polycladus, Andropogon scoparius var. septentrionalis, Schizachyrium praematurum, Schizachyrium scoparium ssp. neomexicanum, Schizachyrium scoparium var. frequens, Schizachyrium scoparium var. neomexicanum, Schizachyrium scoparium var. polycladum

Image ID: 73136
Image by: Joey Shaw
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: SCSCS
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2017-01-01

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: SCHIZ4
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Schizachyrium
GENUS AUTHORITY: Nees
GENUS COMMON: Little bluestem
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 60 species, widespread in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions of the World.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Wipff (1996a)=Z; Gandhi (1989)=Y; Wipff in FNA (2003a). Key based in part on Wipff in FNA (2003a).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: POACEA
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Poaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: (R. Brown) Barnhart 1895 or GRAMINEAE A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Grass Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 771 genera and 12,074 species, herbs (and some shrubs and trees), cosmopolitan. Tribal classification largely follows FNA (2003a, 2007a), with some changes based on subsequent research, as for instance in the Chloridoideae (Peterson, Romaschenko, & Johnson 2010a).
FAMILY REFERENCE: Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2003a, 2007a)=FNA; Hitchcock and Chase (1950)=HC; Blomquist (1948); Peterson, Romaschenko, & Johnson (2010a, 2010b). Key to genera adapted in large part from FNA.

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO:
STEMS:
LEAVES:
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS:
FRUITS:
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT:

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Grass/Grasslike

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: (Jun-) Aug-Oct

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
			x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR:

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE:
NATIVE RANGE:

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
128	HORT	2008-11-20	NCBG staff	View
2300	NPMD	2019-10-16	Touloupas	View
2308	NPMD	2019-10-17	Touloupas	View
2331	NPMD	2019-11-06	Touloupas	View
2411	NPMD	2020-11-07	Kunz	View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
127	2010-0039	2010-11-04	128	View
9454	2021-0113	2021-07-14	0	View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
235	127	102	Liloia	2010-07-15	View
236	127	105	Liloia	2010-10-19	View
237	127	14	NCBG staff	2011-03-01	View
12849	9454	14	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: SCSCS
USDA Common Name: Little Bluestem
Native Status: L48 (N), HI (I), CAN (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY), CAN (AB, BC, MB, NB, NS, ON, QC, SK)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Graminoid

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium
COMMON NAME: Common Little Bluestem
SYNONYMY: [= C, FNA, Pa, Va, Z; = S. scoparium - GW; > Andropogon scoparius var. scoparius - F, G, HC; > Andropogon praematurus Fernald - F, G; > Andropogon scoparius var. polycladus Scribner & Ball - F; > Andropogon scoparius var. frequens F.T. Hubbard - F; = S. scoparium ssp. scoparium - K, Y; < Andropogon scoparius Michaux - RAB, S, W, WV; < S. scoparium var. scoparium - WH3]
PHENOLOGY: (Jun-) Aug-Oct.
HABITAT: In a wide range of moist to dry habitats.
COMMENTS: NB west to AB, south to FL and Mexico. One of the most ubiquitous plants in the modern landscape of our area, occurring throughout in the majority of habitats. This species is extremely variable, some of the variability correlated with habitat and geography; the recognition of infraspecific taxa is warranted.
RANGE MAP: Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Poaceae (R. Brown) Barnhart 1895 or GRAMINEAE A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Grass Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 771 genera and 12,074 species, herbs (and some shrubs and trees), cosmopolitan. Tribal classification largely follows FNA (2003a, 2007a), with some changes based on subsequent research, as for instance in the Chloridoideae (Peterson, Romaschenko, & Johnson 2010a).
REFERENCE: Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2003a, 2007a)=FNA; Hitchcock and Chase (1950)=HC; Blomquist (1948); Peterson, Romaschenko, & Johnson (2010a, 2010b). Key to genera adapted in large part from FNA.

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Schizachyrium Nees (Little bluestem)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 60 species, widespread in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions of the World.
REFERENCE: Wipff (1996a)=Z; Gandhi (1989)=Y; Wipff in FNA (2003a). Key based in part on Wipff in FNA (2003a).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 73136 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 0 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 0 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)