Western Great Plains Sand Prairie

Geology

Aeolian sands.

Landform

Rolling dunes and level sandy plains.

Soils

Deep sand, sand hills, and adjacent sandy soils.

Parent Description

This represents far southern outliers of this system which is best developed in Nebraska and South Dakota, and may in fact be a different system. These grasslands occupy deep sands and sandhills and are dominated by species such as Sporobolus giganteus (giant dropseed), Sporobolus cryptandrus (sand dropseed), Andropogon hallii (sand bluestem), Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem), Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem), Paspalum setaceum (thin paspalum), Calamovilfa gigantea (big sandreed), and Cenchrus spinifex (common sandbur). Some woody species may be present, including Artemisia filifolia (sand sage) and Quercus havardii (Havard’s shin oak).