Andropogon gerardi var. chrysocomus (Nash) Fernald
Andropogon hallii var. grandiflorus Scribn.
Andropogon hondurensis (R.W.Pohl) Wipff
Andropogon provincialis Lam.
Andropogon provincialis var. chrysocomus (Nash) Fernald & Griscom
Andropogon provincialis subvar. furcatus (Muhl. ex Willd.) Hack.
Andropogon provincialis subvar. lindheimeri Hack.
Andropogon provincialis subvar. pycnanthus Hack.
Andropogon provincialis var. tennesseensis Scribn.
Andropogon tennesseensis (Scribn.) Scribn.
Leptopogon furcatus (Muhl. ex Willd.) Roberty
Andropogon 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. It is also known as tall bluestem,[4]bluejoint,[5] and turkeyfoot.[6]
Big bluestem is a perennial warm-season bunchgrass. It is tolerant of a wide range of soil conditions. 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.[4] Depending on soil and moisture conditions, it grows to a height of 1–3 m (3.3–9.8 ft). The stem base turns blue or purple as it matures.
Big bluestem blooms in the summer and seeds into the fall. 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.[9] It somewhat resembles a wild turkey's foot.[4] Each raceme contains pairs of spikelets. Each pair has a stalked spikelet with another stalkless spikelet at the base of the stalk. The stalkless spikelet usually has a fertile, perfectfloret (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.
The spike-like raceme bent to show the pairs of spikelets
Ligule
Ecology
Big bluestem is a mid-successional grass in prairie and other grassland ecosystems. It grows in tall, dense stands that can outcompete other plant species.[10] The stands grow until disturbance interrupts their spread. It is shade intolerant and is adapted to fire.
The larvae of the leaf beetle Diabrotica cristata feed on the roots and the adults visit the flowers of other species of prairie flowers.[7] Many ants decorate their nests with the seeds, including Formica glacialis, F. montana, and F. subsericea.[7] Several species of ants, such as F. glacialis, F. montana, F. subsericea, Lasius minutus, and L. umbratus build nests around the base of this bunchgrass, forming large soil mounds. 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". Up to 12 species of ants have been recorded in mounds found in the Chicago region.[7]
The rust fungus Puccinia andropogonis forms black telia on the leaves.[7]
Uses
The grass and its variants are good forage for horses and cattle, and can also be cut and used for hay. The grass is high in protein. 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.[12][13]
^"Andropogon gerardi Vitman". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
^ abcUchytil, R. J. (1988). "Andropogon gerardii". Fire Effects Information System (FEIS). US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service (USFS), Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
.jpg)
_in_flower_Sand_Lake_Wetland_Management_District_01_(14635029543).jpg)
.jpg)
