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- Grass-like plants
- True grasses
- Andropogon gerardii
Andropogon gerardii — big bluestem
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New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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Facts
Big bluestem is a major component of central North America's tallgrass prairies. Cows love to eat it, but it cannot tolerate overgrazing. Native americans used big bluestem in a variety of ways, including as a medicine and building material.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), cliffs, balds, or ledges, floodplain (river or stream floodplains), grassland, meadows and fields, ridges or ledges, shores of rivers or lakes, shrublands or thickets, woodlands
Characteristics
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf blade width
- 2–10 mm
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Spikelet length
- 5–11 mm
- Glume relative length
- one or both glumes are as long or longer than all of the florets
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- One or more florets
- there is one floret per spikelet
- Lemma awn length
- 0–25 mm
- Leaf sheath hair type
-
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath, but the hairs do not have blisters at their bases
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- Leaf ligule length
- 0.4–2.5 mm
- Anther length
- 2.5–4.5 mm
-
Flowers
- Anther length
- 2.5–4.5 mm
- Anther number
- 3
- Awn on glume
- the glume has no awn
- Bristles below spikelets
- no
- Floret lower bract texture
- the lemma is thin and flexible
- Floret number
- 1
- Floret types within spikelet
- there are at least two distinct forms of florets within one spikelet
- Glume awn length
- 0 mm
- Glume relative length
- one or both glumes are as long or longer than all of the florets
- Glume shape
- the glume is flat or curved in cross-section
- Glume veins
-
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7 or more
- Glumes per spikelet
- 2
- Inflorescence arrangement
- the plant has two types of spikelets with different reproductive structures
- Inflorescence axis orientation
- the inflorescence axis is straight
- Inflorescence branches
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- Inflorescence crowding
- NA
- Inflorescence length
- 30–150 mm
- Inflorescence type (general)
- the spikelets are borne on stalks or on branches
- Inflorescence type (specific)
- the inflorescence has pairs (or trios) of spikelets, but with one always either missing a stalk or on a shorter stalk than the other
- Inforescence position
- the spikelets are mainly carried at the end of the stem
- Lemma awn base
-
- NA
- the awn is attached right at the tip of the lemma
- Lemma awn coiled
- the lemma awn is coiled at least one half turn
- Lemma awn length
- 0–25 mm
- Lemma awn number
-
- the lemma has no awn
- the lemma has one awn on it
- Lemma awn orientation
- the awn of the lemma on dried or older plants is curved or bent outwards
- Lemma base hairs
- the lemma has hairs at the base
- Lemma cross-section
- the lemma is flat or rounded if you cut across the midpoint
- Lemma hairs
- the lemma is hairless between the veins
- Lemma surface
- the surface of the lemma is relatively smooth (not counting any longitudinal veins or hairs)
- Lemma tip
- the lemma tip is split into two or more points
- Lower glume length
- Up to 11 mm
- Lower glume relative length
- the lower glume is nearly as long, or as long as, the upper glume
- One or more florets
- there is one floret per spikelet
- Reproductive system
- some flowers on the plant have both carpels and stamens, while other flowers have only one type of reproductive organ (polygamous)
- Spikelet axis length
- 0 mm
- Spikelet axis tip
- there is no extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet
- Spikelet disintegration
- the spikelet breaks off below the glumes
- Spikelet length
- 5–11 mm
- Spikelet number per node
- 0
- Spikelet pedicel
-
- the spikelets do not have pedicels
- the spikelets have pedicels
- Spikelet pedicel length
- At least 0 mm
- Spikelet position
- NA
- Spikelets spiny
- the spikelets do not appear spiny
- Tip of glume
- the tip of the glume is not divided (though it may have an awn on it)
- Upper glume length
- Up to 11 mm
- Upper glume relative length
- the upper glume is more than one half as long as the lowest lemma
- Upper glume shape
- the upper glume is widest at or below the middle
-
Growth form
- Horizontal rooting stem
- no
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
- Rhizomes
- yes
- Roots
- the plant has rhizomes (horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)
-
Leaves
- Basal leaves
- the plant has few or no leaves coming from the base of the flowering stem
- Leaf auricles
- the leaves do not have auricles
- Leaf basal lobe hairy
- NA
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is more or less flat in cross-section, or slightly folded or rolled inwards
- Leaf blade hairs
- the leaf blade is hairy
- Leaf blade length
- 5–50 cm
- Leaf blade texture
- the leaf blade is rough and sandpapery
- Leaf blade width
- 2–10 mm
- Leaf ligule length
- 0.4–2.5 mm
- Leaf ligule type
- the leaf ligule is in the form of a membrane
- Leaf margin glands
- there are no glands along the edges of the leaf blade
- Leaf sheath closed around stem
- the margins of the leaf sheath are overlapping and not fused together except in the basal half (or less)
- Leaf sheath hair type
-
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath, but the hairs do not have blisters at their bases
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- Leaf sheath hairs
-
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- cliffs, balds, or ledges
- grasslands
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
- ridges or ledges
- river or stream floodplains
- shores of rivers or lakes
- shrublands or thickets
- woodlands
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Hairs at nodes
- the stem nodes are hairless or they have very sparse hairs
- Plant height
- 100–300 cm
- Stem hairs
- the stem is nearly to completely hairless
- Stem orientation
- the stems are upright
- Stem spacing
- the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts
Wetland status
Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but occasionally in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACU)
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- widespread (S-rank: S5)
Native to North America?
Yes
Synonyms
- Andropogon gerardii var. chrysocomus (Nash) Fern.
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
1. Andropogon gerardii Vitman N
big bluestem. Andropogon gerardii Vitman var. chrysocomus (Nash) Fern. • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Sandy soils of roadsides, grasslands, and shorelines, also on river shore outcrops.