Sand dropseed grass at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR

NATIVE GRASSES ~ SAND DROPSEED Sporobolus cryptandrus

Sand dropseed is a warm season perennial bunchgrass usually growing one to three feet tall.

Outer leaves often spread outward before ascending.
A conspicuous dense tuft of white stellate (star-like) hairs at the leaf collar and along split of sheath is a recognizable characteristic of Sand dropseed.
Flower head is partly enclosed at the top most of leaf sheath, lead-colored or purple and three to 14 inches in length.
Glumes (one of paired bracts at the base of a grass spikelet) are thin, pointed, unequal, half an inch in length.
Second glume is often same length or smaller.
High drought tolerance making it a hearty species for overgrazing and extreme droughts on ranges.

The seeds produced are liked by upland game birds, songbirds, and small mammals. The seeds can also be for human consumption.

For a complete Refuge species list

For in-depth plant information
connect with the U.S. Dept Agriculture Plant Data Base

Last Updated: 1/14/09

REFUGE HABITAT

Plants that grow naturally on this short grass prairie are called "native" plants. The Refuge has four major groups.

Vegetation on the Rocky Mountain Arsenal is a mixture of different grasses, shrubs. semi-shrubs, forbes and wildflowers.

Several species of prairie grass grow on the Refuge but the most common are the perennial BLUE GRAMA and WESTERN WHEAT GRASS.

Learn more about prairie grasses at
FRONT RANGE LIVING.