| Botanical Name | Common Name | Size/ Habit | Habitat | Comments | |
| Agrostis perennans | Purple Upland Bent | 1-2 ft.; cespitose perennial | Mesic to dry; sun to part shade; open forest | An occasional grass that comes and goes. delicate seed head; appears in late summer. | |
| Andropogon gerardii | Big Bluestem | 4-9 ft.; tightly rhizomatous perennial | Mesic; sun | Uncommon in the piedmont; not self-fertile, needs nearby big blue seedlings for viable seed. | |
| Andropogon glomeratus | Bushy Bluestem | 3-5 ft.; cespitose perennial | mesic to wet; sun | Grows in soils too wet for upland species; decorative seed heads. | |
| Andropogon gyrans | Elliott's Bluestem | 1-2 ft.; perennial bunch grass | Dry to sub-mesic; sun; often in poor soils | Seed heads appear later than other bluestems; inflated spathe-coppery & shining in fall. | |
| Schizachyrium scoparium syn. Andropogon scoparium | Little Bluestem | 1-2 ft.; seed head to 3-4 ft.; perennial bunch grass | Dry to sub-mesic; sun | Very attractive bright green leaves with wine accents; bluish ecotypes; dark bronze fall color. An excellent grass for showy forbs. | |
| Andropogon tenarius | Splitbeard or Silver Bluestem | 2-3 ft.; seed head to 4ft.; cespitose perennial | Dry to sub mesic; sun; prefers more sandy soil | Bluish summer foliage with showy seed heads; culm with rosey "barber-pole" effect. | |
| Andropogon virginicus | Broomsedge | 2-3 ft.; seed head to 4.5 ft.; cespitose perennial | Dry to mesic; sun; often in poor or disturbed soils. | Very common old-field grass; bright copper attractive fall color all winter. | |
| Aristida spp. | Three-Awn Grass | 1-3 ft.; cespitose annual & perennial; | Dry, sandy soils; glades | A. purpurescens is an attractive perennial; all re-seed readily. | |
| Axonopus fissifolius | Carpet Grass | stoloniferous; sod-forming culm 8-12 in.; perennial | Moist, disturbed areas; sun to part shade. | In the past, used as a lawn & pasture grass and is one of the few native sod grasses; potential road right-of-way grass. | |
| Brachyelytrum erectum | Bearded Shorthusk | 1-2 ft.; seed head to 3 ft.; perennial bunch grass | Moist or mesic forests & slopes; shade or some dappled sun. | Cool-season grass however not noticeable until seed head is visible in August. | |
| Note: All Chasmanthium species begin growth in late fall/early winter, with growth complete by late spring, however seed heads don't appear until July. They are included with warm season grasses because they are visible in late summer. Commercial seed sources for river oats only. | |||||
| Chasmanthium latifolium | River Oats | 2-3 ft; seed head to 3.5 ft.; cespitose perennial (cool season) | Mesic; partial to full shade; river bank berms | Attractive color & seed head; re-seeds easily; a good choice for stream bank stabilization. | |
| Chasmanthium laxum | Slender Spikegrass (Wood Oats) | 1-2 ft.; seed head nodding; cespitose perennial (cool-season) | Mesic to moist forest; full to partial shade; alluvial areas. | Attractive green foliage with a nodding seed head visible in late July. | |
| Chasmanthium sessiliflorum | Long-Leaf Spikegrass (Wood Oats) | 1-2 ft; erect seed head; cespitose perennial (cool season) | Mesic forest grass; shade to partial shade. | Common mesic forest grass; good candidate for slope stabilization. | |
| Cinna arundinacea | Common Woodreed | 4-8 ft; seed head nodding; perennial | Mesic to wet forest & low wet habitats; shade to part sun. | Mostly associated with stream banks, wetlands & rocky bars in rivers. | |
| Dichanthelium spp. | Rosette Grasses | 1-2 ft.; most have 3 phases; cespitose evergreen perennial | Dry to wet; sun to part shade. | Many have spring, autumn & winter leaf phases. About 200 species, a challenging genus. (formerly included in Panicum). | |
| Eragrostis hirsuta | Bigtop Lovegrass | 1-2 ft.; seed head up to 4.5 ft; cespitose | Dry to mesic; sun | Weak perennial; sparse foliage; seed dust-like; re-seeds readily. | |
| Eragrostis spectabilis | Purple Lovegrass | 1-2 ft.; seed head to 4 ft.; tufts; perennial | Dry to dry-mesic; sun | Seed head is a pinkish-purple delicate panicle that is very showy; short foliage. | |
| Gymnopogon ambiguus | Bearded Skeletongrass | 1 -2 ft; short stiff leaves; cespitose perennial | Dry, sandy soils; sun | Not a common grass. A stiff purplish seed head; shallow rooted. | |
| Muhlenbergia capillaris | HairAwn Muhly | 1-2 ft.; terete or flat leaves; cespitose perennial | Dry soils; sun | Delicate pinkish seed head; blooms earlier & not as intense as interdune sweetgrass in nursery trade (M. capillaries var. sericea). | |
| Muhlenbergia schreberi | Nimbleweed | 1-2 ft; rooting at nodes; decumbent | Moist/mesic to dry forests; shade to some sun. | Widespread in eastern US; seed head very different from M. capillaris. | |
| Panicum anceps | Beaked Panic-Grass | 3-5 ft.; short rhizome; perennial | Mesic soils; sun to part shade. | Most common Panicum in the piedmont; excellent erosion control on sunny slopes; coarse appearance. | |
| Panicum rigidulum | Redtop Panic-Grass | 3-5 ft; rhizomatous perennial | wetland obligate; sun | Common; eye-catching, delicate, reddish seed head. | |
| Panicum virgatum | Switchgrass | 4-8 ft; seed head a panicle; short rhizomes; perennial | Dry-mesic to wet; sun | Naturally occurring wet & dry ecotypes; uncommon in upper piedmont; several ornamental varieties. | |
| Paspalum floridanum | Florida Paspalum | 4-8 ft.; perennial bunch grass | Mesic to dry-mesic; sun | Sparse foliage appears late; a bluish variety is striking, P. floridanum var. glabratum<. | |
| Paspalum setaceum var. ciliatifolium | Fringeleaf Paspalum | 1-2 ft.; erect to spreading; perennial bunch grass | Dry, sandy soils; sun | One of the smallest of the Paspalums, somewhat resembling crabgrass before culms arise. | |
| Saccharum alopecuroidum (Erianthus) | Silver Plume Grass | 4-8 ft.; silvery seed head; short rhizomes; perennial | Dry to mesic; sun to partial shade. | An open and forest edge tall showy grass; seed heads may color mauve before becoming silvery white. Nodes on culms have erect hairs. | |
| Saccharum brevibarbe var. contortum (Erianthus) | Short-Bearded Plume Grass | 4-8 ft.; brown seed head; short rhizomes; perennial | Dry to mesic; sun to partial shade. | This plume grass has a darker, less fluffy seed head. | |
| Sorghastrum elliottii | Slender Indiangrass | 2-3 ft.; nodding seed head; perennial bunch grass | Dry to Dry-mesic; sun to part shade. | Much shorter foliage with a nodding brown-gold seed head. Distinctive ligule and twice-bent awns. | |
| Sorghastrum nutans | Yellow Indiangrass | 4-8 ft; yellow seed head; short rhizomes; perennial | Dry-mesic to mesic; sun | Distinctive ligule; green & bluish ecotypes; good seed germination. | |
| Sporobolus clandestinus | Rough Dropseed | 2-3 ft.; very few leaves; perennial bunch grass | Dry-dry mesic; sun | Appears late in season. | |
| Tridens flavus | Purpletop | 2-4 ft.; sparse foliage; perennial bunch grass | Dry to mesic; sun | Very common grass; attractive purple seed heads. | |
| Tripsacum dactyloides | Gamma Grass | 4-8 ft.; blooms from June to Oct.; rhizomatous perennial | Mesic to wet; sun | Large coarse grass with interesting flowers & seed heads; good for drainage swales; circular growth pattern. | |
References and Sources:
| Beginner grass guides: | Harrington, H. D. -- How to Identify the Grasses and Grasslike Plants, 1977 Brown, Lauren -- Grasses: An Identification Guide, 1979 Cullina, William -- Native Ferns, Mosses & Grasses, 2008 |
| Other grass guides: | Grelen, H. E. and R. H. Hughes -- Common Herbaceous Plants of Southern Forest Range #SO-210 - 1984 Grelen, H. E. and Vinson L Duvall -- Common Plants of Longleaf Pine-Bluestem Range - #RP-SO-23 - 1966 Both the above available on the web. |
| More advanced keys: | Pohl, R. W. -- How to Know the Grasses - 1978 Flora of North America Volume 25 Poaceae, Part 2 Weakley, Alan -- Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, northern Florida and surrounding areas Yatskievych, George -- Steyermark's Flora of Missouri |
| Cultural information: | Shaw Nature Center, Missouri has an excellent downloadable manual. Go to left hand menu: click Native Landscaping and then Native Landscaping Manual. Click on Chapter One: Reconstructing a Tall Grass Prairie: a seedling guide. Roundstone Seed Nursery in Kentucky - 9764 Raider Hollow Rd, Upton, KY 42784-9216, Phone: (270) 531-2353 www.roundstoneseed.com Meadow Makers in Mississippi coastal plain has a PDF catalog that has much useful information. Kurtz, Carl. -- A Practical Guide to Prairie Reconstruction |