The other members of the genus (notably the broomsedges) are weedy and are usually considered undesirable as pasture plants.īig bluestem is an excellent forage grass for livestock, but it should not be grazed shorter than about 6 inches. elliottii) is scattered in southern and central Missouri it is quite similar to Virginia broomsedge, but the uppermost leaves (subtending the flowering stalks) are noticeably inflated, and the long, whiskerlike awns protruding from flowerheads are loosely twisted.īig bluestem is considered highly desirable by livestock producers as well as by ecologists. virginicus) is common in southern and central Missouri its stalks branch freely its downy, fuzzy flowers are partly enclosed by a leafy sheath it turns coppery-gold in fall and winter. Our two broomsedges are notable for turning golden orange and remaining upright long into the winter:.ternarius) is scattered mostly in the southern third of Missouri it bears twin, upright, fluffy, silvery, 2-inch-long seedheads at the stalk tips stalks can be branched or unbranched there is usually not a leafy sheath subtending the flowerheads. Similar species: Three other species of Andropogon live in Missouri, all about 2–4 feet tall: The flowers are purplish, yellowish, or yellowish brown. Flower heads are 2–4 inches long and branch into 3 fingerlike parts, resembling a turkey foot. The flowering stalks are round in cross-section, tall, usually not branching. The foliage emerges grayish or bluish green in spring in summer, it becomes green with red tinges in fall, frosts turn it reddish bronze with hints of lavender. It grows from short, scaly rhizomes and roots that saturate the top 2 feet of soil and often extend 12 feet below the surface. It has been called the prince of the tallgrass prairie. Big bluestem is a native warm-season perennial tall grass that forms dense clumps.
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