Little bluestem is a climax component of many ecological sites in south Texas. This grass is good forage for livestock, and is good nesting cover for bobwhite quail and other ground nesting birds. Little bluestem has been eliminated from many areas where it once occurred because of overgrazing. Tremendous ecotypic variation occurs in this species, and a number of varieties exist in the region. STN and the PMC have been evaluating 50+ south Texas collections of this grass and hope to release a south Texas germplasm in coming years. Commercially available seed originating from other regions performs poorly when planted in south Texas, and this seed is often a variety of little bluestem (var. frequens) that generally occurs only in the northernmost portion of south Texas.