Identification

• Ohio State University has identified many of the state's native grasses, along with other grass-like plants, such as sedges and rushes. Native grasses of Ohio include big bluestem, side-oats grama-grass, Canada wild rye, Virginia wild rye, purple love grass, deer tongue grass, switchgrass, little bluestem, indiangrass and prairie cord-grass. The Ohio Administrative Code also lists endangered and threatened native species, such as Elliott's bent grass, little whitlow-grass and June grass.
  
  

Preservation

• Preserving native grasses is a priority of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). To protect plants like twisted yellow-eyed grass in the Erie Sand Barrens, non-native and invasive plants are removed. Intruding plants are cut down, pulled out or eliminated with herbicides. Occasionally, the ODNR conducts a controlled burn to get rid of invasive species in its protected areas. Ohio and federal laws offer further protection by restricting the taking and collecting of endangered or threatened species of native grasses.
  
  

Gardens

• Non-invasive native grasses can be an attractive choice for gardens. The ODNR prohibits collection of seeds from a state nature preserve or wildlife area. Instead, gardeners should purchase seeds propagated in a nursery. Nurseries can also help with selecting appropriate grasses for the garden site. Little bluestem and switchgrass, for instance, grow well in fields and prairies, while long manna grass is preferred in floodplain areas. Controlling weeds during the first few years while the native plants establish their roots is a key to a successful garden.
  
  

Grazing

• Ohio livestock producers use a variety of native grasses for grazing purposes. Grasses are selected based on their forage potential, as well as suitability to the region and growth rate. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), big bluestem can grow up to 8 feet high and is a preferred native grass for grazing livestock. Sideoats grama is also commonly used for grazing because it produces a lot of forage. Silky wildrye, on the other hand, might be a grass to avoid, as its seedheads can irritate an animal's mouth and gastrointestinal tract.
  
  

Erosion Control

• Native grasses are a tool in erosion control along riverbanks, highways, sand dunes and gullies. According to the USDA, switchgrass is valuable because it readily adapts to different environments and can stabilize the soil. Canada wildrye seedlings develop fast, making it another good choice for combating erosion. Plants, such as broomsedge, which might otherwise be considered a weed, may prove to have the right root density to prevent erosion.