GRASS, SEDGE, & RUSH
big bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
Sun
Fertile, most soils
Medium to Medium-Dry
Bunch grass, 3' to 8'
August
Source: Sun, fertile loam, sandy
hairy grama
Bouteloua hirsuta
Sun
Sterile soil, clay, gravel, sand
Dry
Warm season, very short
Summer
Source: Sun, sandy loam, dry, rocky
Bush's sedge
Carex bushii
Sun
Fertile loam, silt, sand
Medium to Medium Wet
Green, brown-red
Early May
Sun, medium-wet, rich
american beakgrass
Diarrhena obovata
Shade to Part-Shade
Fertile loam or silt-loam
Medium to Medium-Dry
Rhizomatus, forming colonies
July
Source: Shawnee County, KS
junegrass
Koeleria macrantha
Sun
Average, sandy
Medium to Dry
Cool season, bunching, rhizomatus
May
Source: Sun, sandy loam, dry, rocky
indian grass
Sorghastrum nutans
Part Sun to Sun
Most soils
Medium to Medium-Dry
Fibrous, 3' to 7'
August
Source: Sun, sandy loam, dry, rocky
sideoats grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Sun
Most soils
Medium-Dry to Dry
Tight bunches, rhizomatic
July
Source: Sun, sandy loam, dry, rocky
Bicknell's sedge
Carex bicknellii
Sun
Loam to clay-loam
Medium to Dry
Spring, early summer growth
May
Source: Prairie Legacy, Inc.
bottle-brush sedge
Carex hystericina
Part-Sun to Sun
Fertile loam, silt or sand
Wet to Medium
Rhizomatus growth
May to Early June
Source: Prairie Legacy, Inc.
purple lovegrass
Eragrostis spectabilis
Sun
Poor to average, sandy, rocky
Medium-Dry to Dry
Fibrous, rhizomatus
August to September
Source: Sun, sandy loam, medium-dry
switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Part-Sun to Sun
Most soils
Medium-Wet to Dry
Bunching, rhizomatic, aggressive
July
Source: Prairie Legacy Inc.
prairie dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Sun
Loamy, rock or gravel
Medium to Dry
Reseeding, fibrous
Spring
Source: Sun, sandy loam, dry, rocky
blue grama
Bouteloua gracilis
Sun
Sterile soil, clay, gravel, sand
Medium-Dry to Dry
Branching, deep roots
Summer
Source: Sun, sandy loam, dry, rocky
short-beak sedge
Carex brevior
Part-Shade to Sun
Most soils
Medium-Wet to Dry
Spring and fall growth
May
Source: Prairie Legacy, Inc.
fox sedge
Carex vulpinoidea
Part-Sun to Sun
Fertile loam, silt or sand, clay
Wet to Medium
Rhizomatus, forming colonies
May
Source: Prairie Legacy Inc.
porcupine grass
Hesperostipa spartea
Sun
Average, sand or gravel
Medium to Dry
Cool season growth, fiberous
May
Source: Sun, fertile loam, mesic
little blustem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Sun
Most soils
Medium to Dry
Reseeding, fibrous
Mid-August
Source: Sun, sandy loam, dry, rocky
