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Andropogon gerardi
Also called Turkeyfoot, Tall Bluestem, Blue Stem Grass, Big Blue, Bluejoint
Big bluestem is a tall, clump-forming native prairie grass of North America that forms dense sod with deep roots. It is easy to grow in full sun and tolerates drought and a wide range of soils.
Andropogon gerardi, commonly known as big bluestem, is a species of tall grass native to much of the Great Plains and grassland regions of central and eastern North America. It is also known as tall bluestem, bluejoint, and turkeyfoot.
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.
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 US, it has long been considered a desirable and ecologically important grass by cattle ranchers and rangeland ecologists.
Bluestem · Bushy bluestem · Sand bluestem · Broomsedge bluestem · Bluestem
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Andropogon gerardi by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
