On wet sites it may form an open or loose sod from short rhizomes connecting small tufts which are close together. Leaf height depends on soil fertility and available water. Spikelets occur in pairs on a central unbranched axis.
Roots are relatively fine.
Little bluestem has a very high ratio of fertile to vegetative stems. At 1 inch the growing point may be removed by grazing, and therefore no new leaves reproduced by the stems. Due to its broad distribution, little bluestem exibits varying degrees of ecotypic variation. Plants vary in height, length of leaves, time of flowering, and clump diameter. Germination in the field appears to be low, with seedling numbers low or absent.