Elliot's Bluestem is a native warm-season perennial bunchgrass found in moist woodlands, sandhills, fields, and disturbed areas in the central and eastern U.S.A. and is found in all areas of NC but primarily in the sandhills and Piedmont. This grass prefers sandy or loam soils in full sun to partial shade from dry to wet sites. It is not often used in the garden and may be difficult to find. It can grow up to 4 feet tall and spread by short rhizomes to 1 foot. The leaves are simple, basal, alternate and 2-ranked. The flowers appear in summer to fall with leaf-like bracts and long white hairs. This plant is heat-tolerant, and its foliage persists through the winter, providing shelter for insects, quail, and other small mammals. Cattle will graze this grass. Best used in naturalized areas as meadows, along streams or ponds. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Watch for aphids, mealybugs, and spider mites, as well as diseases such as root rot, downy mildew, and anthracnose
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry | Occasionally Wet
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Arching; Erect
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Sheath; Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The basal and stem leaves are up to 10 inches long, linear with entire margins.
Fall color
Cream/Tan; Orange
Flower form
Spike
Flower detail
Grass-like flowers in terminal and axillary panicles September-October
Bloom time
Fall
Fruit type
Caryopsis
Fruit detail
The seedhead is a raceme, partially enclosed in a conspicuously enlarged spathe, which turns a rusty color when the plant matures in October-November
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Green stems with white hairs
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Central and eastern U.S.A.
Distribution
AL , AR , DC , DE , FL , GA , IL , IN , KY , LA , MD , MO , MS , NC , NJ , OH , OK , PA , SC , TN , TX , VA , WV
Wildlife value
Members of the genus Anatherum support Common Wood-Nymph (Cercyonis pegala) larvae which have one brood from late May to October. Adult Common Wood-Nymph butterflies feed on rotting fruit and flower nectar. This plant also supports various Skipper larvae. Provides shelter for field birds, small mammals and insects.
Attracts
Butterflies; Pollinators; Small Mammals; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Caryopsis
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Meadow; Pond; Woodland
Landscape theme
Rain Garden
Garden tags
#NC native #disturbed areas #heat tolerant #food source herbage #mammals #Coastal FAC #Piedmont Mountains OBL #warm-season grass #stream banks #pond margins #naturalized area #bird friendly #Audubon #larval host plant #common wood-nymph butterfly #butterfly friendly #food source hard mast fruit #pollinator plant #wildlife friendly #skipper butterflies #meadow #woodland