FNPS Plant Database

Andropogon glomeratus

bushy bluestem

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Nomenclature

Common Name:

bushy bluestem

Synonym(s):

Andropogon glomeratus var. glomeratus, Andropogon glomeratus var. hirsuitior, Andropogon glomeratus var. pumilus, Andropogon glomeratus var. glaucopsis, Andropogon glaucopsis

Genus species:

Andropogon glomeratus

Family:

Poaceae (Gramineae)

Plant Specifics

Form:

grass

Size:

3-5 (6) ft tall by 1-3 ft wide

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

green

Fruit Color:

silvery green, turning orange

Phenology:

deciduous

Noted For:

Fall Color

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Background plant in casual landscape. Fruit stalks start out silvery green and transition to and orangy brown. Retains the old stalks through the winter.

Considerations:

May fall over at the end of the season. Will be neater if old stalks are removed before new growth starts in spring.

Availability:

Native Plant Nurseries, Seed

Propagation:

Division, sprigging, seed.

Light:

Full Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

-|---|----- <-------------------------> |----|----|----|----|-

Stays Wet ---to--- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Loam, Organic (muck), Sand

Soil pH:

acidic to neutral

Suitable to Grow In:

8A, 8B, 9A, 9B, 10A, 10B, 11A, 11B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Birds, Mammals

Seeds eaten by various small birds and other wildlife

Caterpillars, Butterflies

Possible larval host plant for Delaware skipper (Anatrytone logan), Georgia satyr (Neonympha areolata), neamathla skipper (Nastra neamathla), swarthy skipper (Nastra lherminier) and twin-spot skipper (Oligoria maculata) butterflies.

Native Habitats:

Flatwoods, marshes

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

There are several different subspecies of A. glomeratus with different affinities for upland and wetland conditions.

  •  A. glomeratus var. glaucopsis is notable as it has a blue-purple coloration and is almost always found in wetlands. It is sometimes considered to be a separate species
  •  A. glomeratus var. pumilus has the widest distribution in Florida and based on the relative numbers of herbarium specimens, likely the most common.
  •  A. glomeratus var. hirsuitior is widespread but probably less common than A. glomeratus var. pumilis.
  •  A. glomeratus var. glomeratus has no documented herbarium specimens in the southern half of the peninsula.

Uses of the latter 3 varieties should be similar as their habitats are similar.

Citations:

Huegel, Craig N. 2012. Native Wildflowers and Other Ground Covers for Florida Landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Taylor, Walter K. 2009. A Guide to Florida Grasses. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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