Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Grass
Grass
Origin
North America, United States, Canada
Southeastern Asia, Melanesia, Micronesia
Types
Schizachyrium scoparium
Saccharum officinarum
Number of Varieties
3036
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hillside, Prairies, Roadsides
agricultural areas, Wet lands
USDA Hardiness Zone
2-710-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
7 - 1
12 - 9
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 8, 9, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Upright/Erect
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm30.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.00 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
White hair and some brown spots on margins and at tips
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Blue Green, Gray Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Yellow, Red, Bronze, Orange Red
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Tan, Bronze
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Grass like
Acicular
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Average
Average
Bloom Time
Summer, Late Summer
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Wet Site, Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Divison, Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Plant Maintenance
Low
High
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires watering in the growing season
Water Deeply
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Ample Water
Moderate
In Winter
Ample Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
No pruning needed in the early stages, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune ocassionally, Remove dead branches, Remove Ferns
Fertilizers
No fertilizers needed
Equal amount of N,P,K, fertilize in growing season
Pests and Diseases
fungus, Leaf spot
Beetles, Fusarium root rot, Head smut
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Heat Tolerance, Shade areas
Flowers
Insignificant
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Fine
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees
Butterflies, Rats, Squirrels
Allergy
-
Diabetes, Sleepiness
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Maintains teeth healthy, Making cosmetics
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Erosion control, Wildlife
Food for animals, Food for birds
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Aging, Antidepressant, Aphrodisiac, Appetite enhancer, Diuretic, Fatigue, Muscle Pain, Nutrients
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
Leaf Stalks, Leaves, Stem
Other Uses
-
Animal Feed, Biomass for fuel, Can be made into a herbal tea, Food for animals, Sometimes used for making wine
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower / Everlasting, Cutflower, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Groundcover, Mixed Border, Wildflower
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Edible, Feature Plant, Tropical
Botanical Name
SCHIZACHYRIUM scoparium
SACCHARUM officinarum
Common Name
Little Bluestem
Sugarcane
In Hindi
little bluestem
गन्ना
In German
wenig bluestem
Saccharum
In French
barbon
Canne à sucre
In Spanish
Poco bluestem
Saccharum
In Greek
Μικρή bluestem
Saccharum
In Portuguese
pouco bluestem
Cana-de-açúcar
In Polish
trochę bluestem
Saccharum
In Latin
parum bluestem
Saccharum
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Cyperales
Cyperales
Family
Poaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Schizachyrium
Saccharum
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
Andropogoneae
Andropogoneae
Subfamily
Panicoideae
Panicoideae
Number of Species
1036
1
27800
👆🏻