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Bushy Bluestem

Andropogon glomeratus

Other common name(s):

Brushy Bluestem

Family:

Poaceae (Grass Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, High Plains, Southern Texas Plains, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Broken Red Plains, Limestone Plains
Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands, Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands, Low Mountains and Bajadas, Stockton Plateau
Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift, Semiarid Edwards Plateau
Coastal Sand Plain, Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Laguna Madre Barrier Island and Coastal Marshes, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Shinnery Sands
Northern Nueces Alluvial Plains, Rio Grande Floodplain and Terraces, Semiarid Edwards Bajada, Texas-Tamaulipan Thornscrub
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Grass & Sedge

Height

3
to
6
ft.

Spread

1
to
2
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Clay, Poor Drainage, Moist, Saline

Light Requirement

Sun

Water Requirement

High

Native Habitat

Grassland, Woodland, Wetland or Riparian

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Brown

Bloom Season

Fall

Seasonal Interest

Fall Color, Seeds, Larval Host, Nesting Material

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds, Small Mammals, Deer, Bees

Maintenance

Ideal for wetland gardens. In the wild, it grows in sunny, low-lying grasslands and roadside ditches. Tolerates salinity. Full sun and moisture essential. Leave dead stems standing through Fall and Winter for insect habitat. Cut back dead stems in February before Spring growth. Propagation: Root division, Seed.

Comments

Blooms August-November. Bushy Bluestem’s fluffy flower heads resemble chunks of silvery cotton candy. Provides nesting cover for mottle ducks, as it occurs in lowlands and freshwater marshes. Provides cover for white-tailed deer fawns. Attracts: birds and butterflies and bees. Larval Host: Skippers and Satyrs.

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ANGL2. 3) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Andropogon+glomeratus&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=17684&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 5) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=40454#null, 6) Hatch, Umphres, Ardoin, 2015, Field Guide to Common Texas Grasses, pg 51

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State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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