Plant Guide with Characteristics, Classification, and other detailed information

Plant Guide

Bothriochloa barbinodis (Lag.) Herter
cane bluestem
BOBA3

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

Morphology/Physiology
Active Growth Period	Summer and Fall
After Harvest Regrowth Rate	Moderate
Bloat	None
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	Medium
Fruit/Seed Color	Brown
Fruit/Seed Conspicuous	No
Growth Form	Bunch
Growth Rate	Rapid
Height at 20 Years, Maximum (feet)
Height, Mature (feet)	4
Known Allelopath	No
Leaf Retention	No
Lifespan	Short
Low Growing Grass	No
Nitrogen Fixation
Resprout Ability	No
Shape and Orientation	Erect
Toxicity	None

Growth Requirements
Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils	Yes
Adapted to Fine Textured Soils	No
Adapted to Medium Textured Soils	Yes
Anaerobic Tolerance	None
CaCO3 Tolerance	High
Cold Stratification Required	No
Drought Tolerance	High
Fertility Requirement	Medium
Fire Tolerance	Medium
Frost Free Days, Minimum	180
Hedge Tolerance	None
Moisture Use	Medium
pH, Minimum	7
pH, Maximum	8.2
Planting Density per Acre, Minimum
Planting Density per Acre, Maximum
Precipitation, Minimum	12
Precipitation, Maximum	20
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)	10
Salinity Tolerance	Low
Shade Tolerance	Intolerant
Temperature, Minimum (°F)	2

Reproduction
Bloom Period	Indeterminate
Commercial Availability	Routinely Available
Fruit/Seed Abundance	Medium
Fruit/Seed Period Begin	Year Round
Fruit/Seed Period End
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	754000
Seed Spread Rate	Rapid
Seedling Vigor	Medium
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	Medium
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 barbinodis (Lag.) Herter -- cane bluestem P

Alternate Names

cane beardgrass, feather bluestem, plains beardgrass, pinhole bluestem, Andropogon barbinodis

Uses

Cane bluestem is a choice forage grass. Catle search it out during early growth. Because the stems are not palatable in the fall and only the leaves are eaten, some livestock producers misjudge its forage quality. It is used in mixtures for reseeding rangelands in west Texas.

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status, such as, state noxious status and wetland indicator values.

Description

Grass Family (Poaceae). Cane bluestem is a native, warm‑season, perennial bunch grass with height ranging from 2 to 4 feet. The leaf blade is narrow, long, and rough. The leaf sheath is sparsely hairy at the throat. The stem is round, smooth, greenish yellow, and often branching at the nodes. The node is enlarged and covered with short silvery hair. With the above characters, you can identify this grass without the seedhead. The seedhead is a raceme 3 to 5 inches long, silvery to creamy or silky white when ripe.

Distribution: For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

Management

Periodic grazing deferments of 90 to 100 days during the growing season are needed for maximum production, plant vigor, and maintaining the density of the stand. No more than 60 percent of the current year’s growth by weight should be removed by grazing.

Establishment

Growth starts when daily temperature reaches 65 to 70 degrees F. Growing points stay close to the ground until midsummer when the seedheads appear. At that time, growing points are 2 to 4 inches above ground. The seeds ripen in the late summer and early fall. Cane bluestem is well adapted to sandy loam to loamy calcareous soils with a pH of 7.2 to 8.0, which overflow frequently. It grows on gravelly foot slopes that have a good soil‑moisture relationship.

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

Please contact your local NRCS Field Office.

Reference

Leithead, H.L., L.L. Yarlett, & T.N. Shiflett. 1976. 100 native forage grasses in 11 southern states. USDA SCS Agriculture Handbook No. 389, Washington, DC.

Prepared By & Species Coordinator:

Percy Magee, USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Edited: 13may02 ahv; jul03 ahv; 20sep05 jsp; 070116 jsp

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