little bluestem |
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Schizachyrium scoparium var. scoparium |
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| Family | Poaceae (Grass) |
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| Nativity | Native |
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| Status |
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| Habitat | Dry to moderate moisture. Prairies, south-facing goat prairies, open woods, pine barrens, dunes, roadsides, railroads, old fields. Well-drained, rocky or sandy soil. |
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| Flowering | Mid-July to mid-October |
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| Height | |
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| Identification | This is an erect, medium-height grass reaching The stem (culm) is distinctly wine-red or purplish near the nodes. The leaves, especially the lower ones, are rough to the touch, and may have scattered, long hairs. At the top of each culm are several ascending racemes, 1½″ to 3″ long. Each raceme occurs individually on its own slender stalk. The spikelets are hairy. The glumes have a twisted awn at the tip about ¼″ to ½″ inch long. Unlike most grasses, the stems of little bluestem remain upright in the winter. |
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| Similar Species |
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| Range | Throughout |
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| Sightings | |||||||
| Comments | Little bluestem is often used in prairie restorations. The “blue” in the name refers to the color of the emerging shoots in the early summer. The “little” in the name is a misnomer—this is not a little plant—but differentiates it from similarly-named big bluestem. |
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| Images | Click on an image for a larger view. | ||||||
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| Synonyms | Andropogon praematurus Andropogon scoparius Andropogon scoparius var. ducis Andropogon scoparius var. frequens Andropogon scoparius var. neomexicanus Andropogon scoparius var. polycladus Andropogon scoparius var. septentrionalis Schizachyrium praematurum chizachyrium scoparium var. frequens Schizachyrium scoparium var. neomexicanum Schizachyrium scoparium ssp. neomexicanum Schizachyrium scoparium var. polycladum |
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| Common Names |
broom broom beard grass broom beardgrass broom bluestem little blue-stem little bluestem prairie beard grass prairie beardgrass wiregrass |
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