Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash

More info for the terms: frequency, headfire

There was an increase in the number and height of flowering stalks on
Iowa prairie burned following snow-melt. The area had been completely
protected for 9 years prior to burning. Burns were conducted 1 of 3
years, 2 of 3 years and annually, with the greatest flowering occuring
on the annually burned area and the least on unburned areas [25]. A
significant increase in living shoot and flowering stalk production and
more rapid rate of phenological development occurred following spring
burns in Illinois. Burns were conducted in February, March and April of
3 different years [36]. Indiangrass frequency increased significantly
following annual April and May burns using a strip headfire [78].

Indiangrass
Indian grass
indiangrass
indian grass

More info for the term: cover

Indiangrass provides excellent nesting and security cover for pheasants,
northern bobwhite, mourning doves, prairie chickens, and several
songbirds [31,55,61].

More info for the term: warm-season

Indiangrass is a perennial, native, warm-season grass with short, scaley
rhizomes. Plants grow upright and robust, from 3.3 to 6.6 feet (1 to 2
m). Inflorescences are a striking yellow or golden color, with hairy,
grayish branches [69].

Indiangrass is found from Quebec and Maine west to central Saskatchewan,
south to Arizona and northern Mexico, and east to Florida. It is found
in all but 5 of the lower 48 states [50].

More info for the terms: cover, fire regime

The maintenance of the tallgrass prairie before European settlement was
largely due to the occurrence of fire. In the absence of fire, invasion
by woody species is common [12]. Without periodic fires Indiangrass
declines in terms of reproductive effort and relative cover [32].

Indiangrass survives fire by sprouting from on-site surviving rhizomes.

FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find FIRE REGIMES".

More info for the term: density

Water availability for plant uptake may be initially higher in burned
tallgrass prairie, especially early in the growing season. The
through-fall volume of precipitation is 1.3 times higher in burned than
in unburned prairie [34]. However, exposed mineral surfaces lose
moisture rapidly and are soon drier than unburned areas.

Late spring burning with headfires is an appropriate management strategy
in tallgrass prairies when the primary land use is cattle grazing [10].
The average daily gain of cattle increased on tallgrass prairie burned
in early to mid-April in Oklahoma [70] and in the Flint Hills of Kansas
[80]. The Oklahoma range was in good to excellent condition prior to
burning and post-burn precipitation was high. Further research will be
necessary to determine impacts of burning on poor to fair range or
during dry years [70].

Annual spring burning maximizes Indiangrass production and flowering
[1,17,25]. Six years without burning allowed big bluestem to increase
and replace Indiangrass [42]. Indiangrass stem density decreased
following 3 years without burning on deep soil [21]. A marked reduction
in both living shoot and flowering stalk production may occur following
only a single year with no burning [36].

More info on this topic.

More info for the term: geophyte

Geophyte

More info for the term: imperfect

Indiangrass grows in prairies, bottomlands, open woods, and meadows. In
Nebraska it is common on subirrigated and overflow range sites. It
thrives on deep, moist soils varying from heavy clays to coarse sands
[75]. It is moderately tolerant of salt and acid, and may be common on
mildly saline, subirrigated sites [69,75]. It has been found on soils
with a pH as low as 4.5 [75]. Indiangrass tolerates brief or periodic
flooding, water tables in the second foot of soil, and imperfect
drainage [75]. Soils which support Indiangrass include sandy- and
medium-textured soils [41], limestone breaks [7], and silty clay loams
[34]. It was found on claypan range sites in Kansas, but abudance was
low [7].

Common associates include big bluestem, little bluestem (Schizachyrium
scoparium), and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) [34,69].

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

39 Black ash - American elm - red maple
40 Post oak - blackjack oak
42 Bur oak
66 Ashe juniper - redberry (Pinchot) juniper
68 Mesquite
70 Longleaf pine
71 Longleaf pine - scrub oak
72 Southern scrub oak
76 Shortleaf pine - oak
83 Longleaf pine - slash pine
94 Sycamore - sweetgum - American elm
237 Interior ponderosa pine
241 Western live oak

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

More info for the term: shrub

FRES12 Longleaf - slash pine
FRES14 Oak - pine
FRES15 Oak - hickory
FRES17 Elm - ash - cottonwood
FRES21 Ponderosa pine
FRES29 Sagebrush
FRES32 Texas savanna
FRES34 Chaparral - mountain shrub
FRES36 Mountain grasslands
FRES38 Plains grasslands
FRES39 Prairie

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the term: forest

K016 Eastern ponderosa forest
K017 Black Hills pine forest
K037 Mountain mahogany - oak scrub
K051 Wheatgrass - bluegrass
K056 Wheatgrass - needlegrass shrubsteppe
K062 Mesquite - live oak savanna
K063 Foothills prairie
K064 Grama - needlegrass - wheatgrass
K065 Grama - buffalograss
K066 Wheatgrass - needlegrass
K067 Wheatgrass - bluestem - needlegrass
K069 Bluestem - grama prairie
K070 Sandsage - bluestem prairie
K074 Bluestem prairie
K075 Nebraska sandhills prairie
K076 Blackland prairie
K081 Oak savanna
K082 Mosaic of K074 and K100
K084 Cross Timbers
K086 Juniper - oak savanna
K087 Mesquite - oak savanna
K098 Northern floodplain forest
K111 Oak - hickory - pine forest
K112 Southern mixed forest

Indiangrass is top-killed by fire.

Livestock and wildlife eat Indiangrass throughout the summer, but it
does not cure well and is generally considered only fair forage for fall
and winter grazing [69]. Numerous songbirds and small mammals eat the
seeds [55].

More info for the term: grassland

In the northern parts of the tallgrass prairie, Indiangrass is not as
plentiful as big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii var. gerardii). In
southern areas, it may comprise over 90 percent of a stand [13].
Indiangrass occurs as a dominant or subdominant in the following
classifications:

Remnant grassland vegetation and ecological affinities of the upper
coastal prairie of Texas [18]
Composition, classification and species response patterns of remnant
tallgrass prairies in Texas [19]
Classification of native vegetation at the Woodworth Station, North
Dakota [52]

More info for the term: graminoid

Graminoid

More info for the terms: competition, cool-season, density

Indiangrass is intolerant of repeated close grazing and is a decreaser
on all range sites [40,69]. It may decrease during drought, but
recovers immediately when precipitaion returns to normal [33]. It may
be incorporated with cool-season grasses in farm management plans, since
maximim production occurs while cool-season grasses are dormant [30].

Cutting Indiangrass at the hay stage caused a decrease in plant density
in Wisconsin. Cutting at monthly intervals during the summer caused
little or no decrease in plant densities [62].

Several cultivars of Indiangrass are available, each meeting
requirements for specific sites and uses [14,28,37,43,56,71]. Woehler
[79] discusses the use of herbicides to control annual weed competition
in new plantings.

Indiangrass provides a good source of protein and vitamin A throughout
the summer when leaves are green. Digestibility and crude protein
decrease as plants mature [11,31,70]. Spring burning (April 1-15)
increased digestibilty of crude fiber, dry matter, and ether extract
[67].

AL AZ AR CO CT DE FL GA IL IN
IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS
MO MT NE NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH
OK PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA
WV WI WY LB NB NF NS ON PQ SK
MEXICO

Indiangrass is highly palatable to livestock and wildlife in the summer
but only fairly palatable after maturity [53].

More info on this topic.

Indiangrass starts growth in midspring from short rhizomes. In Oklahoma
growth began on April 6th [60]. It matures from September to November
[69]. Across its range, flowering occurs latest in the southeast and
earliest in the northwest. Flowering patterns may be somewhat genetic.
Flowering dates of plants transplanted in Nebraska from several regions
were similar to those of the plants where they originated [51].
Flowering dates for different regions have been reported as follows:

Area Flowering Date Authority

Texas September to November Gould 1937
Oklahoma September 1 to 19 Rice 1950, Bogle 1989
Kansas mid-September Albertson
Missouri August Rabinowitz & others 1989
eastern Nebraska August Steiger 1930
North Dakota mid-July to mid-August Manske 1980

More info for the terms: cover, density, fire intensity, fuel, herbaceous, rhizome, tiller

Indiangrass density and apparent vigor [17,22], number of flowering
culms [9,38,45], and percent canopy and basal cover [5,57] increase with
late spring burning conducted prior to green-up. Burning during other
seasons may increase flowering stems [38] or decrease percent
composition of Indiangrass [72]. The greatest increase in canopy cover,
density, production, and flowering occurs following annual burns
[2,25,44,45]. Seeds are generally absent in burned soils, and most
reproduction following fire is vegetative [2]. Fire intensity affects
short-term rhizome reproduction. Late summer fires (September 5th) were
conducted with both high-intensity and low-intensity fuels. Little or
no damage occurred on the low-intensity fuel area, but tiller densities
were reduced on the high-intensity fuel area. However, tiller density
returned to normal by the following August [26].

This Research Project Summary: Herbaceous responses to seasonal burning in
experimental tallgrass prairie plots

provides information on postfire response of Indiangrass in experimental
prairie plots that was not available when this species review was originally
written.

More info for the terms: herb, rhizome

Rhizomatous herb, rhizome in soil

More info for the terms: competition, stratification

Sexual: Indiangrass seeds germinate readily unless they are buried
deeper than 0.5 inch (1.25 cm). The vigorous seedlings endure a wider
range of drought conditions than most lowland grasses [76]. Cold
stratification is a requirement for germination [75].

Vegetative: Indiangrass produces short rhizomes, which are often very
abundant and may extend to depths of 6 feet (1.8 m). Tillering is
limited or reduced by severe competition [76].

More info on this topic.

This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

7 Lower Basin and Range
10 Wyoming Basin
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
14 Great Plains
15 Black Hills Uplift
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands

More info on this topic.

More info for the term: climax

Facultative Seral Species

Indiangrass dominates climax tallgrass or true prairies along with big
bluestem, little bluestem, and switchgrass [4,64]. It may occur as
isolated plants but usually grows in distinct bunches where moisture
conditions are favorable [4]. It forms 90 percent of the vegetation
where local stands occur in ravines, but only 5 to 20 percent where best
developed in drier areas. Indiangrass is moderately shade tolerant,
often occurring only in brushy thickets in the South where herbivores
are unable to graze it [75]. Indiangrass readily invades disturbed
areas with bare soil [13,76].

Sorghastrum avenaceum (Michx.) Nash

The currently accepted scientific name for Indiangrass is Sorghastrum
nutans (L.) Nash [50]. There are no recognized subspecies, varieties,
or forms.

More info for the terms: cover, reclamation, seed

Indiangrass has been used for several revegetation projects. It is
recommened for range seeding on overgrazed range sites throughout
Nebraska [69]. Roadside revegetation projects in Iowa included
Indiangrass [24]. Establishing Indiangrass on cultivated soils in the
glaciated prairie pothole region in the north-central United States
creates wildlife habitat [23]. Revegetating mined areas (surface coal
mines) was unsuccessful in east central Texas [66] and Kentucky [47].
Though Indiangrass established, the cover was insufficient for soil
stabalization.

Prairie grasses (primarily big bluestem and Indiangrass) have had mixed
results for strip-mine reclamation in Illinois. The establishment of
satisfactory stands required 10 to 15 years of growth and high seeding
rates [8]. On 30-year-old strip-mine spoils, Indiangrass produced well
with both spring and fall plantings [63]. Another study had fair
success, but suggested early-spring planting be used in areas where
summer moisture stress may be a problem [65].

Direct seeding with a grass drill is the most effective planting method
[24]. Awns and hairlike appendages found on the seeds limit their
ability to flow through the drill. Cleaning with a debearder and
fanning mill significantly increases seed quality and flowability [39].
Planting depth, rate and time, and seed cleaning and quality are
described generally by Wasser [75] and specifically for New Mexico by
Allison [6]. The seeding rate is 10 pure live seed (PLS) pounds per
acre (11-12 kg/ ha) [23]. Transplanting seedlings works successfully
in areas where using a drill is not feasible [54,74]. Broadcast seeding
and hydroseeding have been tried with mixed results [16,24].