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This is the forgotten grass of the tallgrass prairie. While Tall Dropseed is not one of the dominant grasses of this ecosystem, it is about as common as Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed). Even though they belong to the same genus, Tall Dropseed doesn't closely resemble the latter species, which has a long-stalked spreading inflorescence. In contrast, Tall Dropseed has a closed inflorescence that is only partially exerted from the uppermost sheath. Other species in this genus that have closed inflorescences are either smaller annual species (e.g., Sporobolus vaginiflorus & Sporobolus neglectus), or their inflorescences are fully exerted from the uppermost sheath (e.g., Sporobolus clandestinus). Tall Dropseed should be used in prairie restorations more often than it is.