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| ## little bluestem {#little-bluestem .Title-Header}                   |
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| *Schizachyrium scoparium* (Michx.) Nash                               |
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| Plant Symbol = SCSC                                                   |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS National Plant Materials Center

![Color image of Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium
scoparium)](media/image2.png){width="1.9in"
height="2.958267716535433in"}

**Alternative Names**

*Andropogon scoparius*

##### Uses {#uses .Header-3}

*Pasture/range/hayland*: Little bluestem is a fair forage species and is
readily grazed by livestock, deer, and elk. It is also suitable for hay.

*Erosion control*: Because of its growth habit and adaptability to a
wide range of soil conditions, little bluestem is useful as a component
of revegetation mixes. It is especially well-suited for use on thin
upland range sites.

*Wildlife*: Little bluestem seed is eaten by songbirds and upland
gamebirds. The plant provides cover for ground birds and small mammals.

*Landscaping*: With its blue-green leaves during the growing season and
attractive rusty color with white fluffy seedheads in the fall, little
bluestem is useful in ornamental plantings.

##### Status {#status .Header-3}

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

##### Description {#description .Header-3}

Little bluestem is a medium height grass with coarse stems and basal
leaves. As a warm season grass it begins growth in late spring and
continues through the hot summer period until the first killing frost.
It is easily mistaken for common broomsedge. Little bluestem has very
flat bluish basal shoots. Plants are green, but often purplish at base
of stem and the entire plant has a reddish cast after frost. Leaves are
smooth, but frequently are covered with hair at the base next to the
sheath. Leaves tend to fold with maturity. Seed head clusters about
three inches long. The cluster stems are hairy. Plant height varies from
18 inches on droughty sites to 3 feet on deep, fertile soils. There are
255,000 seeds per pound.

Broomsedge (*Andropogon virginicus*) has a straight awn and has two or
more stalked seed clusters per branch. Little bluestem has a twisted,
bent awn and a single cluster of seeds per branch. Seacoast bluestem
(*Schizachyrium scoparium* var. *littorale*) occurs only in the coastal
plain region. It is very similar to little bluestem but can be
distinguished by the bent stems at the base, whereas little bluestem
stems are erect.

##### Adaptation and Distribution {#adaptation-and-distribution .Header-3}

Little bluestem is one of the most widely distributed native grasses in
North America. It will grow on a wide variety of soils but is very well
adapted to well-drained, medium to dry, infertile soils. The plant has
excellent drought and fair shade tolerance, and fair to poor flood
tolerance. It grows preferentially on sites with pH 7.0 and slightly
higher.

Little bluestem is distributed throughout the United States. For a
current distribution map, please consult the Plant Profile page for this
species on the PLANTS Website.

##### Establishment {#establishment .Header-3}

Little bluestem should be seeded as early in the spring as possible.
Where no-till is used due to slope, stoniness, or other reasons, sod
control should be performed in the fall to permit early spring planting.
The seeding rate for establishing a pure stand with broadcast or no-till
methods should be 7 to 12 pounds PLS per acre. When drills are used to
plant, debearded seed must be utilized unless the drill has a chaffy
seed box. When the seed is broadcast, a packer should be utilized to
firm the seedbed and incorporate the seed 1/4 to 1/2 inch (3/4 inch on
very droughty sites). No nitrogen fertilizer should be applied during
the establishment year unless no weed competition is expected. If pH is
below 5.5, lime is recommended during site preparation or the fall prior
to no-till plantings.

For critical area seeding, the preferred method of planting is drilling,
but if this is not possible, an acceptable alternative method is
broadcasting the seed (typically in a mix with other warm season
grasses) and 'tracking' it in with a bulldozer. The dozer moves up and
down slope, off-setting each pass until the entire area is covered with
tracks. Seedings should be made as early as possible in the spring on
sands and gravels, without mulching. Moderate levels of N, P, and K are
sufficient for establishment, and soil pH should be 5.5 to 6.0.
Cultipacker-type planters are not suitable for this species.

##### Management {#management .Header-3}

Control of competition is necessary for successful stand establishment.
High mowing (above the bluestem seedlings) is a common method of weed
control. Once established, poor stands can be rehabilitated by using
proper management practices, such as controlled grazing, application of
recommended rates of herbicides and fertilizer, and prescribed spring
burning, where permitted.

Do not graze a forage planting during the year of establishment. During
subsequent growing seasons, harvesting by controlled grazing or haying
is possible on good stands. Do not remove more than 50% of the current
year's growth from plants. No cropping should occur below 8 inches or
within 1 month of anticipated frosts. Grazing of competing cool season
grasses after frost in the fall and before the little bluestem is 1 inch
tall in the spring is desirable.

##### Pests and Potential Problems {#pests-and-potential-problems .Header-3}

There are no serious pests of little bluestem.

##### Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) {#cultivars-improved-and-selected-materials-and-area-of-origin .Header-3}

'Aldous' (Kansas), 'Camper' (Nebraska, Kansas), 'Cimmaron' (Kansas,
Oklahoma), 'Pastura' (New Mexico) and 'Blaze' (Nebraska, Kansas) are
cultivars that have been developed. There are also local ecotypes of
little bluestem available from seed companies.

##### Prepared By & Species Coordinator:  {#prepared-by-species-coordinator .Header-3}

USDA NRCS National Plant Materials Center

Beltsville, Maryland

##### 

##### Edited: 05Feb2002 JLK; 060817 jsp {#edited-05feb2002-jlk-060817-jsp .Header-4}

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA\'s [TARGET
Center](http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm) at 202-720-2600 (voice and
TDD).*

*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or
TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.*

*Read about [Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Convervation
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