^ The Xerces Society (2016), Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects, Timber Press.Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. ^ a b c d e Wilhelm, Gerould Rericha, Laura (2017).Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service (USFS), Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries Australian National Botanic Gardens. Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem).Symbols Īndropogon gerardi is the state grass of Illinois and Missouri and the official prairie grass of Manitoba. It is often grown for wildlife gardens, natural landscaping, and grassland habitat restoration projects.ĭue to its high biomass, big bluestem is being considered as a potential feedstock for ethanol production. īig bluestem is cultivated by specialty plant nurseries for its drought tolerance and native status. While not considered the highest quality native forage found in the United States, it has long been considered a desirable and ecologically important grass by cattle ranchers and rangeland ecologists. The grass and its variants are good forage for horses and cattle, and can also be cut and used for hay. The rust fungus Puccinia andropogonis forms black telia on the leaves. Up to 12 species of ants have been recorded in mounds found in the Chicago region. In larger mounds, the nest is shared by multiple species of ants, and is "likened to an apartment complex with each ant species in its own nest partition". umbratus build nests around the base of this bunchgrass, forming large soil mounds. Many ants decorate their nests with the seeds, including Formica glacialis, F. The larvae of the leaf beetle Diabrotica cristata feed on the roots and the adults visit the flowers of other species of prairie flowers. It is a host to larvae of several species of butterflies, including the arogos skipper, byssus skipper, cobweb skipper, common wood nymph, Delaware skipper, and dusted skipper. It is shade intolerant and is adapted to fire. The stands grow until disturbance interrupts their spread. It grows in tall, dense stands that can outcompete other plant species. The stalkless spikelet usually has a fertile, perfect floret (with both female and male parts) and an awn (bristle), and the stalked spikelet is awnless, and is sterile or has a staminate (male) flower.īig bluestem is a mid- successional grass in prairie and other grassland ecosystems. Each pair has a stalked spikelet with another stalkless spikelet at the base of the stalk. It somewhat resembles a wild turkey's foot. The inflorescence (cluster of flowers) is a raceme of two to six, most commonly three, narrow spike-like racemes alternately arranged along the top of the stem. The stem base turns blue or purple as it matures.īig bluestem blooms in the summer and seeds into the fall. Depending on soil and moisture conditions, it grows to a height of 1–3 m (3.3–9.8 ft). The main roots are 6–10 ft (1.8–3.0 m) deep, and the plants send out strong, tough rhizomes, so it forms very strong sod.
It is tolerant of a wide range of soil conditions. Description īig bluestem is a perennial warm-season bunchgrass.
Andropogon gerardii still makes appearances in various literature, including other USDA publications. Kew's International Plant Names Index and USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network reject the spelling gerard ii and provide reasoning for gerard i as being the correct spelling for the specific epithet of this taxon. It was named for French botanist Louis Gérard, who had first described the plant from specimens that had been cultivated in Provence, France. Taxonomy Īndropogon gerardi was formally named in 1792 by Fulgenzio Vitman. It is also known as tall bluestem, bluejoint, and turkeyfoot. ex Willd.) RobertyĪndropogon gerardi, commonly known as big bluestem, is a species of tall grass native to much of the Great Plains and grassland regions of central and eastern North America.
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