| Author | (Nash) Bicknell | |
| Distribution | In NC almost restricted to the Outer Banks and barrier islands; scarce on the adjacent mainland. There is a curious gap on the Outer Banks from Whalebone Junction south to South Core Banks.
Maritime, southeastern MA to NC; southeastern TX to Veracruz, Mex.; a few sites bordering the Great Lakes. | |
| Abundance | Uncommon to frequent on the Outer Banks and barrier islands; rare on the mainland. Can be locally quite common, such as at Fort Macon State Park (Carteret County). The website editors suggest a State Rank of S3. This is a Watch List species. | |
| Habitat | Maritime dunes and stable dune barrens. Will survive on open roadsides through the above habitats and in suburban neighborhoods. |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting August-October. | |
| Identification | To many folks, Dune Bluestem resembles Little Bluestem (S. scoparium), but differs in significant ways: the leaves are more concentrated at the base of the plant, the lowermost parts of plant are buried in sand (vs. not), stems root at lower nodes and also some higher nodes if in contact with sand (vs. no rooting in S. scoparium). Populations of Little Bluestem on the Outer Banks are rare and scattered, and are associated with pine-oak woodlands as opposed to dunes and sand flats. This is the sole foodplant for the caterpillars of the very rare Crystal Skipper (Atrytonopsis quinteri), which is limited globally just to coastal Carteret and Onslow counties. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | By some authors lumped within S. scoparium, wholly or as a variety.
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| Other Common Name(s) | Seaside Bluestem, Seaside Little Bluestem, Shore Little Bluestem, Coastal Little Bluestem. Though in NC the name of Seaside Bluestem is prevalent, over its overall range, Dune Bluestem is more often in use and is a more descriptive name. | |
| State Rank | S2S3 [S3] | |
| Global Rank | G5T5 [G5] | |
| State Status | W1 | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FAC link |
| USACE-emp | FACW link |
