Specimen record
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Description
One of the most beautiful native grasses, little bluestem turns a stunning copper-bronze in autumn and holds that color through much of winter, with fluffy white seed heads catching the low-angle light. In summer, the stems and leaves have a distinctive blue-green to blue-purple tint. It is a dominant grass of dry meadows and roadsides on well-drained soils and is increasingly used in ecological restoration and native landscaping.
Identification tips
- 1Blue-green to blue-purple stems and foliage in summer (the 'bluestem' character)
- 2Turns rich copper-bronze in autumn, persisting through winter
- 3Fluffy white zigzag seed heads (racemes) with silky hairs on each spikelet
- 4Grows in dense clumps (bunchgrass) 40–100 cm tall on dry, sunny sites
- 5Flattened, slightly hairy leaf sheaths often tinged with purple at the base
Specimen & preservation notes
Collect in early autumn when the bronze color and fluffy seed heads are both present. Press the entire upper portion of a culm with seed head attached. The fluffy seeds shed easily — handle gently. Include a summer stem to show the blue-green color for comparison.
Collection calendar
| Wk | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov |
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Collection notes
Season check
Observed bloom also extends into July.
Flowering records: 8 iNaturalist observations, Massachusetts · Nearby: 169 observations within 25 km