SCIENTIFIC NAME: Sorghastrum nutans
COMMON NAME: Indian Grass, Yellow Indian Grass
BLOOM TIME: Aug, Sept
PLANT PROFILE:
- Roots can reach 6 to 9 foot in length, when the plant is only 3 to 7 feet tall.
- Native Americans dyed and braided stems to use to make baskets & mats, threaded it with beads and quills for ornaments.
- Dominant grass that covered much of the Illinois prairie.
- Approx. 175,000 seeds per pound.
INSECT/ANIMAL INTERACTIONS:
- Several species of grasshoppers feed on the foliage of Indian Grass & grasshoppers are an important food source for many grassland birds.
- The foliage is also eaten by hoofed mammals, including bison, cattle, & deer.
- Because of its height and tendency to remain erect, it provides nesting habitat and protective cover for many kinds of birds, including the Ring-necked Pheasant, Greater Prairie Chicken, Northern Bobwhite, Mourning Dove, and Field Sparrow.