Changes in Native Grasses 1987-2024 In January 1990 at the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association’s (MNLA) annual convention in Minneapolis, I first presented a list of winter hardy ornamental grasses recommended for growing and selling in the cold climate of then USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 4a. This list included only 2 native grasses: Deschampsia caespitosa, tufted hairgrass, and Panicum virgatum ‘Rehbraum’ and‘Rotstrahlbusch’, switchgrass. Other recommended grasses were: Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Forester’ Helictotrichon sempervirens Molinia caerulea spp. arundinaceae ‘Windspiel’, ‘Skyracer’ Miscanthus sinensis ‘Purpurascens’, ‘Sliberfeder’, Miscanthus xgiganteus Spodiopogon sibericus
Fast forward to December 2000 to a new list of recommended grasses for cold climates which included 4 additional native grasses. Read more in this article
BELOW: ‘Blackhawks’ big bluestem, left and ‘Cape Breeze’ switchgrass, right, October 2023, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s Grass Collection
Deschampsia is an almost evergreen, native cool-season grass.
Sporobolus airoides Alkali Sacaton Native to South Dakota, Missouri east to Washington, south to Texas and southern CA, but not native to Minnesota, alkali sacaton can flower early for a warm season grass, shown here on June 23, 2023 at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Growing 36-40 inches in height and equally wide, alkali sacaton has finely branched large panicles of flowers on yellow culms that make an airy cloud of flowers above the foliage. Despite dry conditions in the past few years (no irrigation) these plants have been growing well in this location since 2011
“This grass is tolerant of salinity and a broad range of pH. After establishment, alkali sacaton is tolerant of drought and water inundation. However, it is intolerant of shade; a source of food for deer, small mammals (it is relished by jackrabbits), birds (game and non-game), and waterfowl.” Source: plants.usda.gov Sporobolis is from Greek words meaning “seed” and “throw” and refers to the dispersion of seeds. As its common name indicates, alkali sacaton tolerates high pH soils across the Great Plains. Sacaton is derived from American Spanish zacatón and Aztec word zacatl, meaning “coarse grass”. The word sacaton is synonymous with course grass in southwestern US. The epithet airoides means “looks like aira” referring to the genus of grasses, Aira, also with hair-like flowers.
Hot and dry is often the weather in Minnesota in mid to late July. Fortunately, established warm season grasses can take the heat. New first year plants will need to be watered until they are established.
New plants of Molinia, right foreground will need additional water in drought. Back left switchgrass tolerates hot dry conditions.
May 5 and finally warm weather to begin gardening again in Minnesota! It’s time to remove the tops of grasses left from last year. This opens up the plants to better light and moisture, and they look better without the dead stems from last year. In older clumps you might find a plant that was home for voles for the winter, as seen below in prairie dropseed, Sporobolus heterolepis. Good for wildlife habitat, but ouch! a lot of this crown is gone and the plant should be dug, divided, and reset to allow renewed growth this year. In addition to cover, prairie dropseed seems to be a favored food of voles. Perhaps they appreciate the coumarin found in this species, one of the chemicals usually found in fragrant grass foliage.
So fun to see another grass selected by the Perennial Plant Association as the 2022 Perennial of the Year. And little bluestem is a great native grass that is easy to grow and has many ecosystem services. More information is on this page as well as a list for the many 25!!! kinds of little bluestem that have been or will be grown at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.
Blue HeavenTM in winterBlue Heaven TM in fallLittle bluestem flowers
What’s in a Name? Changes abound in the world of taxonomy and naming plants. Current cultural discussions are widening our traditional (European) thinking of plant names and how we arrive at these names. In promoting the use of often overlooked native grasses in increasingly shrinking native habitats, I recently patented a cold hardy, early flowering selection of Sorghastrum nutans, Golden SunsetTM formerly referred to as Indian grass. Thanks to colleagues (Hummer, 2021) and insightful writers (listed herein and below) I no longer use the common name Indian grass. I am proposing and using yellow prairie grass as a more appropriate and less offensive common name for this plant.
What’s the big deal? It’s just a common name! It’s a big deal if this name invokes harm and perpetuates and legitimizes bigotry, even if it does so unintentionally (Hunter, 1991). I am not a Native American and cannot speak for how the name Indian grass is viewed by Native Americans. I have been told the word Indian is offensive to Native Americans. And we know this word has been removed from mascots and icons of sports teams and institutions. To continue to use such terms indicates a lack of understanding, awareness, and can continue to perpetuate bigotry.
There really are no rules for common names, which vary regionally and cause much confusion. Hummer (2021) has proposed that to change common names that are slurs, insulting, or blatantly offensive would be simply to stop the common usage and adopt one of the existing but not offensive common names. Sorghastrum nutans has few, if any, additional common names. Of course, Native Americans know this grass. According to Linda Black Elk, Sorghastrum nutans, in Lakota is pȟeží šašá or íŋkpa žiží. This can be translated in English to yellow grass or pȟeží žiží (Lakota Consortium, 2021). Thus I am proposing the name yellow prairie grass for Sorghastrum nutans, a name that I hope is respectful of indigenous peoples and still accurately describes the plant.
As much as I, a lifelong horticulturist, love plants, it is important to note that Native Americans respected them more and thought of plants as “beings with their own stories, beliefs and ways of life. Protocols require us to introduce plants just as we would introduce another human being. Plants have both spiritual and physical healing to offer, it is just necessary to ask for the help they can give.” (Geniusz, 2015). To understand the respect Native Americans gave to plants broadens our view as horticulturists. Plant names can help our knowledge and show respect for all cultures.
Though challenging to change plant names and have them become widely used, it is important to remove insults from our botanical nomenclature. While changing an offensive common plant name is fairly simple, we must also address changes for offensive Latin names or binomials, as proposed by Gillman and Wright (2020). Horticultural publications should recognize and stop publishing offensive plant names. Names are important and convey different meanings to different cultures. Let us open our botanical and horticultural work to be more inclusive and benefit from all cultures adding to the wonder, art, and science of horticulture.
Hummer, Kim E. 2021. Deliberation on culturally insensitive plant names: What are plant scientists doing? Chronica Horticulturae 61-3:10-11. SSN: 0578-039X (print), 2506-9772 (electronic).
Stunning fall color on purple moorgrass and many of the miscanthus on November 11, 2021 at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.
Molinia ‘Skyracer’ left (divided in May 2021, so smaller than normal) and ‘Karl Forester’, right. Miscanthus xgiganteus, back center. Panicum ‘Cape Breeze’ foreground, purple Blackhawks big bluestem behind, miscanthus in background.
A new six-acre prairie was planted 1 year ago at Wakehurst, part of Kew Gardens in England. Their goal is to enable visitors to “walk the world” in different plant communities. The tallgrass prairie is one of the most endangered plant communities in the world.
Hand sowing prairie seed at Wakehurst; photo by Jim Holden, RBG Kew
The prairie seed was collected from several locations in the U.S. including the Morton Arboretum’s Schulenberg Prairie. Watch how the seed was collected, cleaned, stored, and planted.
Walking the 11-acre Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s prairie is a fun experience in any season.
Bennett Johnson Prairie, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum July
A warm October with no frost in sight enabled giant miscanthus Miscanthus xgiganteus to fully flower on October 13, 2021. Short due to drought, the flowers and overall plant are a sight to see at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. I cannot recall seeing the flowers this spectacular in the 34 years this plant has been in the Grass Collection.
grasstalk 