big bluestem

(Andropogon gerardi)

Conservation Status
big bluestem
 
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

N5? - Secure

SNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
Wetland Indicator Status
     
  Great Plains

FACU - Facultative upland

     
  Midwest

FAC - Facultative

     
  Northcentral & Northeast

FACU - Facultative upland

     
           
 
Description
 
 

 

 
     
 

Height

 
 

5 to 8

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Dry to moderate moisture. Prairies. Full sun.

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Flowering

 
 

August to October

 
     
 

Pests and Diseases

 
 

 

 
     
 
Use
 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 24, 28, 29, 30.

 
  2/19/2023      
         
 

Nativity

 
 

Native

 
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Plantae (green algae and land plants)  
  Subkingdom Viridiplantae (green plants)  
  Infrakingdom Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)  
  Superdivision Embryophyta (land plants)  
  Division Tracheophyta (vascular plants)  
  Subdivision Spermatophytina (seed plants)  
  Class Liliopsida (monocots)  
 

Order

Poales (grasses, sedges, cattails, and allies)  
 

Family

Poaceae (grasses)  
  No Rank PACMAD clade  
  Subfamily Panicoideae (bristlegrasses, bluestems, paspalums, and allies)  
  Tribe Andropogoneae (bluestems, lemon grasses, silvergrasses, and allies)  
  Subtribe Andropogoninae (bluestems, thatching grasses, and allies)  
 

Genus

Andropogon (bluestems)  
       
 

Some sources, including ITIS, USDA PLANTS, and Flora of North America, use the species epithet gerardii. This is the corrected latinized spelling of the given name Gerard or Gérard. However, gerardi is a well-established form of that name, and spelling corrections are not allowed under rules of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants.

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Andropogon chrysocomus

Andropogon furcatus

Andropogon furcatus var. villosa

Andropogon gerardi var. chrysocomus

Andropogon gerardii

Andropogon hallii var. grandiflorus

Andropogon provincialis

Andropogon provincialis subvar. furcatus

Andropogon provincialis subvar. lindheimeri

Andropogon provincialis subvar. pycnanthus

Andropogon provincialis var. tennesseensis

Andropogon tennesseensis

Leptopogon furcatus

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

big bluestem

bluejoint

bluejoint beardgrass

turkeyfoot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

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Robert Briggs

 
 

Big Bluestem seed head, Whitetail Woods park.

 
    big bluestem      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Habitat

 
    big bluestem      
           
 

Inflorescence

 
    big bluestem      
           
 

Infructescence

 
    big bluestem      

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
  Andropogon gerardi
Zi W
 
  Andropogon gerardi  

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

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Other Videos
 
  Big Bluestem mp4
Karl Foord
 
   
 
About

Published on Oct 12, 2013

No description available.

   
  Minnesota Native Plant - Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardi)
MNNativePlants
 
   
 
About

Published on Sep 5, 2013

This video shows one of the taller Minnesota native grasses, the Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardi).

   
  Identifying Big Bluestem
Karl Foord
 
   
 
About

Published on Oct 12, 2013

No description available.

   
  Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardi)
PrairieMoonNursery
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Aug 24, 2011

http://www.prairiemoon.com Big Bluestem is sometimes called Turkey's foot. It is a staple of the Tallgrass Prairie.

   

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

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Be sure to include a location.
 
  Robert Briggs
11/5/2016

Location: Whitetail Woods Regional Park

Big Bluestem seed head

big bluestem  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

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Binoculars


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