The major warm season grasses are Switchgrass, Big Bluestem, and Indiangrass.
These grasses grow best during the warm summer months. Because of differing management requirements, it's recommended that they be planted in pure stands rather than in mixtures.
Switchgrass is an excellent forage producer. It grows in bunches, but can form a sod. It can grow as high as four-seven feet.
Switchgrass can be identified by the patch of white hairs in the area where the leaf blade connects to the rest of the plant.
It also has a distinctive, open, widely branched seed head when mature.
Big bluestem is a bunch grass that grows four-seven feet tall. On mature plants, the stems have a reddish purple tint.
One of Big Bluestem's distinguishing characteristics is that the seed head has two or three spikes or fingers that attach at a common joint of the stalk. It resembles a turkey foot. Thus, one of the common names of "turkey foot".
On young leaves, big bluestem can be identified by the long hairs.
Indiangrass is another warm season grass that is somewhat sod forming and grows four-seven feet tall.
A distinguishing trait for this. grass is the "rifle- sight" where the leaf blade connects with the stem. The leaf blade becomes very narrow where it attaches to the stem
The seed head changes as it matures. At the pollen shed stage, the seed head is relatively open. After pollination, the head contracts as seen here.
As the heads mature, they open again and become a light rust color.
| Back to Introduction 