Sorghastrum nutans

This is my absolute favorite native grass. When my interest in plants first began, I would notice this bluish-leaved grass with coppery blonde plumes in fall and wonder what it was. Found in each of our 77 counties, Indian Grass is the official state grass of Oklahoma. It looks great in the landscape as it is a bunchgrass and not an aggressive runner. A dominant species of the Tallgrass Prairie, it will grow in a variety of soil types, including sand or clay. Give it a poor soil and no extra water once it is established and cut it back to around 6″-8″ from the ground before growth begins in spring. Songbirds are occasionally seen eating the seeds of Indian Grass and its flowering plumes are so showy, they are actually visited by bees.