States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaFloridaVirginia
Menu

Sorghastrum secundum

Sorghastrum secundum

Found in longleaf pine sandhills, Florida dry prairies, pine rocklands. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

52
Strong

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 41%

Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to average
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Light · Life cycle · Leaves · Bloom

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 60 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Prairies and grasslands

Grand Prairie, Coosa Valley Prairies, Floyd County
Limestone prairie. Shown: Grand Prairie, Coosa Valley Prairies, Floyd County, Georgia, a neighboring state.Grand Prairie, Coosa Valley Prairies, Floyd County, Alan M. Cressler / U.S. Geological Survey, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Sandhills

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 124 animals.

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

8CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Sorghastrum

  • Amblyscirtes hegonPepper and Salt Skipper
  • Anatrytone loganDelaware Skipper, Logan Skipper, Black-Vein Skipper
  • Atrytone arogosArogos Skipper, Beardgrass Skipper
  • Atrytonopsis hiannaDusted Skipper
  • Dargida diffusaWheat Head Armywotm Moth
  • Lerodea eufalaEufala Skipper, Gray Skipper, Rice Leafroller
  • Nastra lherminierSwarthy Skipper
  • Oligoria maculataTwin-Spot Skipper
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
2BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Sorghastrum

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
4BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Sorghastrum

  • Ammospiza leconteiiLeConte's Sparrow
  • Pooecetes gramineusVesper Sparrow
  • Spizella passerinaChipping Sparrow
  • Spizella pusillaField Sparrow
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
POACEAE

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Conservation status

Florida rankS5
Global rankNot available
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

Choose a county to begin.

How to check your spot

Sources