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Prairie dropseed

Sporobolus heterolepis

Climate-suitable non-native

Growing guidance

Horticultural figures below are practitioner estimates for planning, pending expert review. The botanical record further down is sourced and verifiable.

Current-climate suitability

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Future-climate resilience

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Sun

Full sun

Soil moisture

free-draining, average

Heat tolerance

Up to about 44°C

Cold tolerance

Down to about -35°C

Waterlogging tolerance

1/5

Drought tolerance

5/5

Mature size

0.4–0.8 m tall, 0.6 m spread

Seasonal interest

Autumn · Bronze gold

Maintenance

low

Wildlife supported

General wildlife value 4/5 (verified species relationships are shown only where structured data exists)

Known risks or warnings

Very slow from seed; buy plugs.

Toxicity: none

Verified botanical record

Accepted scientific name
Sporobolus heterolepis (A.Gray) A.Gray
Family
Poaceae (Poales)
Rank and status
species · accepted
GBIF record
Taxon 2704766

Recorded native range: Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan

Ranges are exactly as recorded in the GBIF source checklists and may be incomplete for widely cultivated species.

Sporobolus heterolepis, commonly known as prairie dropseed, is a species of prairie grass native to the tallgrass and mixed grass prairies of central North America from Texas to southern Canada. It is also found further east, to the Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada, but is much less common beyond the Great Plains and is restricted to specialized habitats. It is found in 27 states and four Canadian provinces.

Description from Wikipedia — Sporobolus heterolepis (CC BY-SA), shortened and unedited in substance.

Native status and geographic context

  • United Kingdom: climate-suitable
  • United States: native
  • Australia: climate-suitable

Native status is never inferred from climate similarity. Plants restricted or invasive in a jurisdiction are excluded from recommendations there.

Demonstration data. Climate, plant and retailer records shown here are realistic samples awaiting horticultural validation and live data connections.