The Use of Native Plants for Revegetation along West Virginia ...

Little Bluestem (Andropogon scoparius Michx.)
Similar to Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem is also a primary grass of the tall grass prairie
region. It is a bunchgrass with or without rhizomes and grows to a height of about 1 m. It is
found throughout the contiguous US except for Nevada and the Pacific Coast states. It is more
drought resistant and can persist on loamy to clay soils in drier climates than Big Bluestem,
Indiangrass, or Switchgrass (Voight and MacLauchlan, 1985).
Butterfly Weed (Asclepius tuberosa L.)
Butterfly Weed is a very desirable, showy and low-maintenance plant. It has a long period of
bloom and responds well to mowing (Swan et al., 1993). It is easily grown in average, dry to
medium wet, well-drained soils in full sun, is drought tolerant, and does well in poor, dry soils.
Butterfly Weed can be grown easily from seed and frequently self-seeds, but is slow to establish
and can take 2-3 years to produce flowers. It has a long, tuberous taproot and grows in a clump
to 1m tall. Butterfly Weed occurs in dry/rocky open woods, glades, prairies, fields and roadsides
(Missouri Botanical Garden, 2005).
Early Goldenrod (Solidago juncea Ait.)
Early Goldenrod is one of the earliest blooming goldenrods. It is an attractive, slender plant
with a delicate appearance. The root system consists of a short caudex (on old plants), which
may produce rhizomes and vegetative offshoots. It prefers full to partial sun, and mesic to
slightly dry conditions, although moist conditions are tolerated if the soil is reasonably welldrained.
It grows to 1m and is often found in dry, open woods, rocky banks, and roadsides
(Illinois Wildflowers, 2005).
Ox-eye Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides (L.) Sweet)
Ox-eye Sunflower is a fast-growing relative of the true sunflowers. It is a clump-forming,
upright, perennial found in open or rocky woods, thickets, prairies and along railroads. It grows
1 to 2m tall and has an abundance of bright yellow flowers that appear in June and will often
bloom into September. Ox-eye Sunflower tolerates drought, some shade, and a wide range of
soils. It does not spread by rhizomes, but self-sows readily on open soil (Prairie Nursery, 2005,
and Missouri Botanical Garden, 2005b).
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