Prairie Dropseed

Sporobolus heterolepis

Pollinator Value

🐛 Larval Host: Hesperia leonardus
S13+S15 1 verified Eastern NA
❄️ Winter Food Source: Seeds are eaten by sparrows and other granivorous songbirds from late summer into winter, including Field Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, and Slate-Colored Junco. LeConte's Sparrow feeds on seeds (2.2% of diet by weight).
S10 seed-eating songbirds listed; S57 LeConte's Sparrow diet record

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: Ranked S3 (Vulnerable) in both Ontario and Quebec, and nationally N4. Not SARA listed. In Quebec, concentrated along the Ottawa River in Pontiac County on calcareous alvars. In Ontario, known from alvar sites in the Ottawa area including Burnt Lands Provincial Park. The species is globally secure (G5) but at the northeastern edge of its range in the Ottawa Valley.
S22 S3 ON, S3 QC, G5, N4; S26 not SARA listed; S62 Ottawa sites; S54 QC specimens from Pontiac
Rarity Ranks: QC S3 – Vulnerable, ON S3 – Vulnerable
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: In the Ottawa-Gatineau region, prairie dropseed occupies calcareous alvars and limestone shorelines along the Ottawa River, particularly around lac-des-Chats near Bristol Mines in Pontiac County. QC specimens are found on riverine alvars on Beekmantown dolomite and sandy xeric openings. On the Ontario side, it occurs at Burnt Lands (locally abundant on alvar), Shirleys Bay (Innis Point), and Morris Island. A provincially rare species (S3 in both ON and QC) characteristic of remnant prairie and alvar habitats on calcareous substrates.
S48 specimen localities on alvars; S62 Ottawa sites; S54 QC herbarium records from lac-des-Chats alvars; S22 S3 rank both provinces

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)]

Category: Dermatological Aid, Emetic, Liver Aid
S28 Moerman categories: Drug (Dermatological Aid, Emetic, Liver Aid)
Notes: Southern Ojibwa used root preparations medicinally: a poultice of crushed root was applied to sores (dermatological aid), and a decoction of root was taken as an emetic to remove bile (also considered a liver aid). Documented by Hoffman 1891 from the Midewiwin.
S28 Moerman NAEB Ojibwa uses; S61 confirms Ojibwa root poultice

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: No food uses documented. Moerman records only medicinal uses for this species. USDA rates human palatability as none.
S28 no food category; S11 Palatable Human=No