Broomsedge bluestem
Andropogon virginicus Nieuw.
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Morphology
- Culm
- Usually in small tufts, erect, slender, grooved on one side, branching in upper 2/3.
- Blades
- Basal and cauline, linear, flat or folded, 4 to 18 inches long, .06 to .2 inch wide, conspicuous midrib, margins slightly rough, upper surface sparsely pilose near base.
- Sheath
- Shorter than internode, glabrous to sparsely pilose along margins, lower sheaths keeled, upper sheath usually longer than the inflorescence; internodes villous.
- Ligule
- Short ciliate membrane
- Inflorescence
- Narrow, elongated, panicles, 6-40 per culm, each with 2-5 racemes; racemes .8 to 1.2 inch long, partially enclosed by sheathing bract; rachis slender, flexuous, long-villous.
- Spikelets
- Borne in pairs at each node, one spikelet sessile and fertile and one spikelet pedicellate and not fully developed; sessile spikelets narrow; glumes nearly equal, .12 to .16 inch long, keeled; first lemma empty, hyaline; fertile lemma membranous or hyaline; awn .4 to .8 inch long, straight, twisted proximally.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Open sandy or rocky soils of prairies, pastures, roadsides, and waste areas.
- Distribution
- East 1/2 of Kansas
Practical Information
- Forage Value
- Some early forage value but nutritional quality and palatability decreases with maturity.
- Uses
- Broomsedge bluestem provides wildlife cover.
Additional Notes
Comments
Broomsedge bluestem is somewhat weedy. The autumn foliage has a distinct orange color.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Grass
- Family
- Poaceae – Grass Family
- Life Span
- Perennial
- Height
- 20-48 inches
- Origin
- Native
- Last Updated
- 2022-12-02
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: September, October