Schizachyrium S. ‘Chameleon’ 1Gal

Latin Name: Schizachyrium scoparium 'Chameleon'

Common Name: Chameleon Little Bluestem

Zones: 3–9

Height & Spread: 3–4 feet tall (with flower plumes), spreading 18–24 inches wide

Descriptive Features: A native prairie grass selection valued for its ever-shifting, multi-hued foliage that lives up to its name, changing color dramatically across the seasons. Fine-textured, upright blades emerge powdery blue in spring, deepen through shades of green and rich burgundy-purple over summer, and finish in a blaze of coppery-orange to red in fall — a longer, more colorful transformation than many other little bluestem cultivars. Forms a tight, upright, clump-forming habit that resists flopping. In late summer to fall, delicate, silvery-white, fluffy seed heads emerge along the upper stems, catching the light and adding soft textural contrast against the colorful foliage, and persist into winter, offering food and shelter for birds. As a native prairie grass with a deep, fibrous root system, it's highly adaptable to poor, dry, sandy, or rocky soils and extremely drought-tolerant once established, thriving where many other plants struggle. Deer-resistant and low-maintenance, needing only a late-winter cutback before new growth resumes. An excellent choice for meadows, prairie plantings, mass plantings, or as a colorful accent in mixed borders in full sun.