Big bluestem grass
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''Andropogon gerardi'', commonly known as big bluestem, is a species of tall grass native to much of the
Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...
and grassland regions of central and eastern North America. It is also known as tall bluestem, bluejoint, and turkeyfoot.


Taxonomy

''Andropogon gerardi'' was formally named in 1792 by
Fulgenzio Vitman Fulgenzio Vitman (1728–1806) was an Italian clergyman and botanist. In 1774, he developed the Brera Botanical Garden in Milan out of a former Jesuit garden, under the direction of Maria Theresa of Austria Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Chri ...
. It was named for French botanist
Louis Gérard Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis ( ...
, who had first described the plant from specimens that had been cultivated in Provence, France. Kew's International Plant Names Index and USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network reject the spelling ''gerardii'' and provide reasoning for ''gerardi'' as being the correct spelling for the specific epithet of this taxon. ''Andropogon gerardii'' still makes appearances in various literature, including other USDA publications.


Description

Big bluestem is a perennial warm-season
bunchgrass Tussock grasses or bunch grasses are a group of grass species in the family Poaceae. They usually grow as singular plants in clumps, tufts, hummocks, or bunches, rather than forming a sod or lawn, in meadows, grasslands, and prairies. As perennial ...
. It is tolerant of a wide range of soil conditions. The main roots are deep, and the plants send out strong, tough
rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...
s, so it forms very strong
sod Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricult ...
. Depending on soil and moisture conditions, it grows to a height of . 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 A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
of two to six, most commonly three, narrow spike-like racemes alternately arranged along the top of the stem. It somewhat resembles a wild turkey's foot. 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,
perfect Perfect commonly refers to: * Perfection, completeness, excellence * Perfect (grammar), a grammatical category in some languages Perfect may also refer to: Film * Perfect (1985 film), ''Perfect'' (1985 film), a romantic drama * Perfect (2018 f ...
floret (with both female and male parts) and an
awn AWN may stand for: * Awn Access to Justice Network in Gaza Strip, Legal Aid Network operate in Gaza Strip, Palestine * Animation World Network, an online organization for animators * Avant Window Navigator, a dock-like bar that tracks open windows ...
(bristle), and the stalked spikelet is awnless, and is sterile or has a staminate (male) flower.


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. The stands grow until disturbance interrupts their spread. It is shade intolerant and is adapted to fire. It is a host to larvae of several species of butterflies, including the
arogos skipper ''Atrytone arogos'', the arogos skipper or beard-grass skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in the United States in isolated colonies in Georgia, peninsular Florida, the Gulf Coast, south-east North Dakota and central M ...
,
byssus skipper ''Problema byssus'', the byssus skipper or bunchgrass skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found along the Atlantic coastal plain of North America, from North Carolina south to Florida and the Gulf States and from northern In ...
,
cobweb skipper ''Hesperia metea'', the cobweb skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It has a scattered distribution in the United States from southern Maine west to Wisconsin, south to central Georgia, the Gulf States and central Texas. The wings ...
, common wood nymph,
Delaware skipper ''Anatrytone logan'', the Delaware skipper, is a North American butterfly. It is a member of the subfamily Hesperiinae, the grass skippers. This skipper ranges from the southern Canadian Prairies and southern Ontario through the midwestern and ea ...
, and
dusted skipper ''Atrytonopsis hianna'', the dusted skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in the United States from eastern Wyoming, central Colorado, northern New Mexico and central Texas east to New Hampshire and Massachusetts, south ...
. The larvae of the leaf beetle '' Diabrotica cristata'' feed on the roots and the adults visit the flowers of other species of prairie flowers. Many ants decorate their nests with the seeds, including ''
Formica glacialis ''Formica glacialis'' is a species of ant in the family Formicidae.Sharkey M.J. (2007). ''Phylogeny and Classification of Hymenoptera''."Phylogenetic relationships among superfamilies of Hymenoptera", Sharkey M.J., Carpenter J.M., Vilhelmsen L., ...
'', '' F. montana'', and '' F. subsericea''. Several species of ants, such as ''F. glacialis'', ''F. montana'', ''F. subsericea'', ''
Lasius minutus ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species in ...
'', 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. The rust fungus '' Puccinia andropogonis'' forms black telia on the leaves.


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. Big bluestem is cultivated by specialty plant nurseries for its drought tolerance and native status. It is often grown for wildlife gardens, natural landscaping, and grassland habitat restoration projects. Due to its high
biomass Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms bi ...
, big bluestem is being considered as a potential feedstock for ethanol production.


Symbols

''Andropogon gerardi'' is the state grass of Illinois and Missouri and the official prairie grass of Manitoba.


See also

* '' Schizachyrium scoparium'' (little bluestem)


References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q663311, from2=Q66980288
gerardi Gerardi is an Italian surname. It may refer to: * Federico Gerardi (born 1987), Italian footballer * Giulio Gerardi (1912–2001), Italian cross-country skier * Juan José Gerardi Conedera (1922–1998), Roman Catholic Bishop in Guatemala * Kelli ...
Bunchgrasses of North America Plants described in 1792 Symbols of Illinois Symbols of Missouri