Plant Guide with Characteristics, Classification, and other detailed information

Plant Guide

Bothriochloa bladhii (Retz.) S.T. Blake
Caucasian bluestem
BOBL

Summary
Duration	Perennial
Growth Habit	Graminoid
U.S. Nativity	Introduced to U.S.
Federal T/E Status
National Wetland Indicator	FAC

Morphology/Physiology
Active Growth Period	Summer
After Harvest Regrowth Rate	Rapid
Bloat	Low
C:N Ratio	Medium
Coppice Potential	No
Fall Conspicuous	No
Fire Resistant	No
Flower Color	Yellow
Flower Conspicuous	No
Foliage Color	Green
Foliage Porosity Summer	Dense
Foliage Porosity Winter	Porous
Foliage Texture	Fine
Fruit/Seed Color	Brown
Fruit/Seed Conspicuous	No
Growth Form	Bunch
Growth Rate	Rapid
Height at 20 Years, Maximum (feet)
Height, Mature (feet)	3
Known Allelopath	No
Leaf Retention	No
Lifespan	Moderate
Low Growing Grass	No
Nitrogen Fixation
Resprout Ability	No
Shape and Orientation	Semi-Erect
Toxicity	None

Growth Requirements
Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils	No
Adapted to Fine Textured Soils	No
Adapted to Medium Textured Soils	Yes
Anaerobic Tolerance	None
CaCO3 Tolerance	Medium
Cold Stratification Required	No
Drought Tolerance	High
Fertility Requirement	High
Fire Tolerance	Low
Frost Free Days, Minimum	150
Hedge Tolerance	None
Moisture Use	Medium
pH, Minimum	5
pH, Maximum	8
Planting Density per Acre, Minimum
Planting Density per Acre, Maximum
Precipitation, Minimum	20
Precipitation, Maximum	50
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)	18
Salinity Tolerance	Low
Shade Tolerance	Intolerant
Temperature, Minimum (°F)	-23

Reproduction
Bloom Period	Mid Summer
Commercial Availability	Routinely Available
Fruit/Seed Abundance	Low
Fruit/Seed Period Begin	Summer
Fruit/Seed Period End	Fall
Fruit/Seed Persistence	No
Propagated by Bare Root	No
Propagated by Bulb	No
Propagated by Container	No
Propagated by Corm	No
Propagated by Cuttings	No
Propagated by Seed	Yes
Propagated by Sod	No
Propagated by Sprigs	No
Propagated by Tubers	No
Seed per Pound	860000
Seed Spread Rate	Rapid
Seedling Vigor	High
Small Grain	No
Vegetative Spread Rate	Slow

Suitability/Use
Berry/Nut/Seed Product	No
Christmas Tree Product	No
Fodder Product	Yes
Fuelwood Product	None
Lumber Product	No
Naval Store Product	No
Nursery Stock Product	No
Palatable Browse Animal	Low
Palatable Graze Animal	Low
Palatable Human	No
Post Product	No
Protein Potential	Low
Pulpwood Product	No
Veneer Product	No

Kingdom Plantae -- Plants

Subkingdom Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants

Superdivision Spermatophyta -- Seed plants

Division Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants

Class Liliopsida -- Monocotyledons

Subclass Commelinidae

Order Cyperales

Family Poaceae -- Grass family

Genus Bothriochloa Kuntze -- beardgrass P

Species Bothriochloa bladhii (Retz.) S.T. Blake -- Caucasian bluestem P

Uses

Caucasian bluestem is sometimes used as a critical area cover plant due to its ability to grow on droughty, acid, sterile sites. It should be used in mixtures with native warm season grasses because it is not a particularly valuable wildlife plant. This plant is not reliably hardy north of the PA-NY border. Though used for forage in the southern Midwest, the quality is not high enough to use it in this way in the Northeast.

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

Description

Caucasian bluestem has dense blue-green leaves and thin stems with purple tinges at the nodes. It typically grows to 3-4 feet in height. The seed head is a terminal group of spike-like stalks that come from a common point. The most memorable characteristic is the sweet, distinctive odor of the foliage.

Adaptation and Distribution

This grass will grow on soils of moderate drainage or better. It will grow well on acid, droughty, and low fertility soils. The best use for this grass is on drastically disturbed sites such as strip mine RAMP sites in PA and South.

For a current distribution map, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Website.

Establishment

Caucasian bluestem should be seeded as the soil warms in the spring. The germination is slow compared to cool season grasses and the two types of grass are almost never planted together. Native grass drills such as the Truax, Great Plains, or Tye are the best units for planting this seed as they have positive feed mechanisms for chaffy seed and double disk furrow openers. If a suitable drill is not available or cannot be used due to terrain, then broadcasting the seed and tracking it in with a bulldozer is also an excellent planting method. Hydroseeding without tracking is simply a waste of time, money, and effort. Mulches are avoided with warm season grass plantings unless absolutely necessary to control erosion--then use 1500 pounds per acre of straw as a maximum rate. No nitrogen fertilizer should be applied during the seeding year. Phosphorus and potassium should be at medium levels, and the pH should be 5.5 or better on forage fields and 5.0 or better on critical areas.

Management

Once established, there is little management needed for this species. It does not respond as strongly to fire as do our native species.

Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

There are several hybrid cultivars from Oklahoma and Texas, but these are not recommended for used in the Northeast. Caucasian bluestem, sold under that name, is the best of the non-native bluestems.

Prepared By & Species Coordinator:

USDA NRCS Northeast Plant Materials Program

Edited: 01Feb2002 JLK; 31may06jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS Web site<https://plants.usda.gov> or the Plant Materials Program Web site <https://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov>

Attribution: U.S. Department of Agriculture