Images
Click on image to view full size
Morphology
- Culm
- Erect, stout, solid, round, branching toward summit, glabrous, waxy, grooved on 1 side.
- Blades
- Flat or rolled inward or outward, 6-24 inches long, to 1/2 inch wide, usually smooth below, rough above, bluish or purplish, usually hairy near collar.
- Sheath
- Glabrous or hairy, generally shorter than internode, waxy, purplish
- Ligule
- Fringed membrane, less than 1/10 inch long.
- Inflorescence
- Racemes, 2-7, finger-like, each 1.5-4 inches long, purplish to yellowish brown, terminal
- Spikelets
- Borne in pairs; sessile spikelets perfect; lemmas with awn up to 3/4 inch long that is bent and twisted below; stalked spikelets about same size, staminate or sterile, without awns.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Lowland prairies, plains, and open woods, in deep, fertile, dry soils.
- Distribution
- Throughout, but rare in southwest corner. It is the most abundant grass in the tallgrass prairie region.
- Reproduction
- Reproduces primarily via rhizomes.
Practical Information
- Forage Value
- One of the highest-quality forage grasses on the prairie. Livestock relish it, usually preferring it to other grasses. Big bluestem decreases with overgrazing.
- Uses
- Prairie chickens and songbirds consume the seeds.
Additional Notes
Comments
Sometimes called "turkey-foot" for the distinctive shape of the inflorescence. Dead stems often remain standing throughout the winter, and the leaf blades take on a reddish cast after frost.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Grass
- Family
- Poaceae - Grass Family
- Life Span
- Perennial
- Height
- 2 to 7 feet
- Last Updated
- 2021-03-07
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: July, August, September