Nebraska Academy of Sciences
Date of this Version
1993
Abstract
Ten eastern Nebraska tallgrass prairie remnants, varying in size from one to 18 ha, were studied or visited during the growing seasons from 1979 to 1993. A total of 217 prairie plant species were recorded. Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), little bluestem (Andropogon scoparius), smooth brome (Bromus inermis subsp. inermis), New Jersey tea (Ceanothus herbaceus var. pubescens), false sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra), Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), and porcupine-grass (Stipa spartea) were prevalent in all the prairies although the specific floristic composition has been reported to vary depending on past management, topography, season of evaluation, and prairie size. Of the total species recorded, 13.8% (30 of 217) were non-native with Kentucky bluegrass (average frequency = 99%), Japanese brome (Bromus japonicus) (32%), smooth brome (30%), and red clover (Trifolium pratense) (27%) the most frequent. This study provides baseline information against which future studies can be compared.
Comments
1993. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences, XX: 33-40. Copyright © 1993 Boettcher, Bragg and Sutherland.