Sporobolus heterolepis, called prairie dropseed, is a clump-forming, warm season, perennial grass which typically occurs in prairies, glades, open ground and along railroads in parts of the central and western United States and southern Canada.

Sporobolus is a nearly cosmopolitan genus of plants in the grass family. [5][3][6][7][8] The name Sporobolus means "seed-thrower", and is derived from Ancient Greek word σπόρος (spóros), meaning "seed", and the root of βάλλειν (bállein) "to throw", referring to …

Jun 22, 2022 · Prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) is an attractive, yet tough and long-lived ornamental grass. By growing it, you will also be doing a good deed to increase biodiversity.

Prairie dropseed, is a native perennial clump-forming, warm-season, ornamental grass that forms dense tufts of sprawling leaves up to 2 feet high and 3 feet across. It is a prairie grass typically found in glades, open ground and along railroads from Canada to the United States.

Considered by many to be the most handsome of all prairie grasses, Prairie Dropseed is a desirable native grass for any garden. Create a well-defined and distinctive border with Prairie Dropseed by placing new transplants 18 to 24 inches apart.

Favored by landscapers for its tendency to grow in decorative bunches, Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed) is a fine-textured ornamental grass with long, narrow arching leaves forming attractive round tufts about 18 in. tall.

Prairie Dropseed was one of the major components of the Midwestern prairie, and it is now a popular landscape plant—with good reason. It is perhaps the most ornamental of the native prairie grasses. It grows in a clumping shape with deep green narrow leaves that arch downward.

The scientific name, Sporobolus, comes from the Greek sporos (seed) and bolos (a throw), and the common name, dropseed, both refer to the seeds which fall or may be ejected from the inflorescence when the mucilaginous fruit wall dries (Peterson, et al., 2003). Mature plants range from 11 to 40 inches tall.

One of the very best of our native prairie grasses is Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed). Prairie Dropseed, native to the mid-section of the US and Canada, has much to recommend it.

Sporobolus airoides, or Alkali dropseed, is a warm-season, perennial, ornamental bunchgrass native to western and central United States and often found in saline flats, prairies and sands, and meadows and valleys with moderately saline soils (hence the alkali common name).