3.14: Indiangrass
- Page ID
- 91489
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Sorghastrum nutans
Warm season; Perennial
Characteristics: 3–6’; upright to columnar; flowers bronze; foliage blue-green; fall color
Growing Conditions: full sun; hardy zones 3–8
A dominant grass in the tallgrass prairie, Indiangrass is a large grass that grows very upright. The seedheads are long, feathery spikes that appear yellow when pollen is shedding and turn bronze as the season continues.
Nativars:
- ‘Indian Steel’: upright with numerous, shiny bronze flowers, 5–6’.
- ‘Sioux Blue’: an excellent selection for gardens; showy yellow flowers, 5–5.5’.
Associated Lepidoptera:
Species that use Indiangrass according to the literature are pepper and salt skipper (Amblyscirtes hegon) and wheat head armyworm (Faronta diffusa).