America's vast prairies have been likened to an ocean of grass. This region is considered either shortgrass or midgrass prairie, depending on soil moisture, precipitation, and relative humidity in a given location and season. Dominant grasses here are blue grama and buffalo grass, which adapt to grazing and drought through their extensive underground root system. Well over 400 plant species can be found on North Dakota grasslands. Native Americans and early settlers relied on many prairie plants for food and medicine, and today there is renewed interest in the prairie and all it has to offer.