Yellow False-sorghum

Sorghastrum nutans

Pollinator Value

🐛 Larval Host: Amblyscirtes hegon, Atrytonopsis hianna, Anatrytone logan, Dargida diffusa
S13+S15 4 verified Eastern NA
❄️ Winter Food Source: Seeds provide a significant dietary component for LeConte's Sparrow (Ammodramus leconteii), comprising 14.7% of diet by weight or volume. Persistent erect culms also furnish nesting habitat and protective cover for Ring-necked Pheasant, Greater Prairie Chicken, Northern Bobwhite, Mourning Dove, and Field Sparrow.
S57 LeConte's Sparrow 14.7% diet; S10 nesting cover for gamebirds

Proximity Score: 0
Native Status: ✅ Outaouais ✅ Ottawa ✅ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: Local
CEC Eco-Regions: 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
Rarity Notes: Apparently Secure (S4) in Ontario with widespread populations, but Vulnerable (S3) in Quebec where it reaches the northeastern edge of its range. Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC. Quebec populations are concentrated along the Ottawa River corridor and tributaries, with 19 herbarium specimens and 42 preserved specimens in ecoregion 5.2.3.
S22 S4/S3; S26 not SARA listed; S54 19 QC specimens; S48 42 specimens in 5.2.3
Rarity Ranks: QC S3 – Vulnerable, ON S4 – Apparently Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: A dominant warm-season tallgrass prairie species found in dry to mesic open habitats. In the Ottawa-Gatineau region, occurs along rocky and sandy Ottawa River shorelines, alvar habitats, and open slopes along the Gatineau River. Herbarium specimens document populations at Ironside, Farmer Rapids, Lac Deschenes, Queen's Park (Aylmer), Luskville beaches, and alvar at Knox Landing on marble bedrock. Associates with Andropogon gerardii, Sporobolus vaginiflorus, and Juniperus virginiana on calcareous substrates.
S48 specimen localities; S62 6 Ottawa sites; S10 tallgrass prairie dominant; S7 dry open forests and prairies

Roles: Fire Retardant, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fire Retardant: S73 [MEDIUM]: S11 Fire Tolerance = High (not definitional)] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [HIGH]: S64 Xerces listed (source-classified)]

❌ Not Edible