Prairie Dropseed

Growth habit

Grass/Sedge

Native distribution

Not Native to the Finger Lakes Region, Quebec to Saskatchewan, South to Georgia and New Mexico

Cultivation

A 3' tall clumping grass that is showy and fragrant. Leaves turn golden and orange in fall, providing lasting winter interest.
Light: full sun.
Moisture and Soil: Dry, rocky soil.

Propagation

Seed Treatment and Storage: Seeds germinate without pretreatment. Plants are slow to mature to full size.

Biocultural value

The Ojibwa applied a poultice of prairie dropseed roots to skin sores and took a decoction of the root as an emetic.

The statements above were sourced from:

Native American Ethnobotany Database: http://naeb.BRIT Native American Ethnobotany Database.org/

Wildlife value

Flowers are wind-pollinated. Sporobolus seeds are eaten by a number of songbirds, including snow buntings, juncos, lapland longspurs, field sparrows, and tree sparrows. White-tailed deer also graze on the plants.

Location

Mundy Wildflower Garden, Palmer-Kinne Dogwood Collection, Peterson Oak Grove, Bioswale Garden, Zucker Shrub Collection

Source of plant

Kurt Bluemel Inc., Bluebird Nursery Inc., High Country Gardens, North Creek Nurseries

Description

A densely tufted narrowly upright perennial reaching 2' in height; infloresence fragrant, gray-green, narrowly pyramidal, the branches erect or ascending, finally spreading, bearing dark green spikelets towards their tips, effective in late summer.

USDA Hardiness Zone

4