Fifteen of the most popular species across all midwestern seed mixes; these species exceed the 95th percentile of popularity of observed species. “Popularity value” reflects a species' frequency of occurrence across all seed mixes, and the mean percentage of a species' proportional weight in seed mixes; the value was calculated by averaging the two percentages and ranges from 0−100.
| Species Name | Physiognomy | Popularity Value |
|---|---|---|
| Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem) | Graminoid | 40.1 |
| Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama) | Graminoid | 35.1 |
| Rudbeckia hirta (black-eyed Susan) | Forb | 34.9 |
| Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem) | Graminoid | 33.7 |
| Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass) | Graminoid | 29.7 |
| Dalea purpurea (purple prairie clover) | Forb | 29.6 |
| Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot) | Forb | 28.6 |
| Elymus canadensis (Canada wild rye) | Graminoid | 28.0 |
| Panicum virgatum (switch grass) | Graminoid | 26.5 |
| Ratibida pinnata (yellow coneflower) | Forb | 25.9 |
| Elymus virginicus (Virginia wild rye) | Graminoid | 24.5 |
| Oligoneuron rigidum (stiff goldenrod) | Forb | 22.7 |
| Chamaecrista fasciculata (partridge pea) | Forb | 21.9 |
| Zizia aurea (golden Alexanders) | Forb | 20.8 |
| Heliopsis helianthoides (false sunflower) | Forb | 20.7 |