Plant Guide

Andropogon ternarius Michx.
splitbeard bluestem
ANTE2

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

Morphology/Physiology
Active Growth Period	Summer
After Harvest Regrowth Rate	Slow
Bloat	None
C:N Ratio
Coppice Potential	No
Fall Conspicuous	No
Fire Resistant	No
Flower Color	Green
Flower Conspicuous	No
Foliage Color	Green
Foliage Porosity Summer	Moderate
Foliage Porosity Winter	Porous
Foliage Texture	Fine
Fruit/Seed Color	Yellow
Fruit/Seed Conspicuous	No
Growth Form	Bunch
Growth Rate	Moderate
Height at 20 Years, Maximum (feet)
Height, Mature (feet)	3.9
Known Allelopath	No
Leaf Retention	No
Lifespan	Moderate
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	Medium
Cold Stratification Required	No
Drought Tolerance	High
Fertility Requirement	Low
Fire Tolerance	Medium
Frost Free Days, Minimum	140
Hedge Tolerance	None
Moisture Use	Low
pH, Minimum	4
pH, Maximum	7.5
Planting Density per Acre, Minimum	3400
Planting Density per Acre, Maximum	11000
Precipitation, Minimum	20
Precipitation, Maximum	60
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)	10
Salinity Tolerance	None
Shade Tolerance	Tolerant
Temperature, Minimum (°F)	-18

Reproduction
Bloom Period	Late Summer
Commercial Availability	No Known Source
Fruit/Seed Abundance	Medium
Fruit/Seed Period Begin	Summer
Fruit/Seed Period End	Fall
Fruit/Seed Persistence	No
Propagated by Bare Root	Yes
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	216000
Seed Spread Rate	Slow
Seedling Vigor	Medium
Small Grain	No
Vegetative Spread Rate	None

Suitability/Use
Berry/Nut/Seed Product	No
Christmas Tree Product	No
Fodder Product	No
Fuelwood Product	None
Lumber Product	No
Naval Store Product	No
Nursery Stock Product	No
Palatable Browse Animal	High
Palatable Graze Animal	High
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 Andropogon L. -- bluestem P

Species Andropogon ternarius Michx. -- splitbeard bluestem P

Alternative Names

Splitbeard beardgrass, paintbrush bluestem, silver bluestem, silvery beardgrass, and feather bluestem.

Uses

Livestock: Splitbeard bluestem is grazed readily by cattle in the spring shortly after growth starts. However, it is seldom abundant enough for forage for cattle. If it is the principal winter forage, the cattle should be fed a protein supplement.

Ornamental Landscaping: Splitbeard bluestem is used as an ornament in landscapes and in flower arrangements because of its fluffy, cottony, and silvery seed heads scattered over the length of each stem. To some people, the grass evokes images of shooting fireworks.

Wildlife: Splitbeard bluestem benefits wildlife. Several species of birds and mammals eat the seeds and use the plants for cover. The white-tailed deer and rabbits also browse the plant.

Erosion Control: Splitbeard bluestem does well in controlling erosion when slope planting in poor or sandy soils.

Conservation Practices: Splitbeard bluestem, because of its growth habit, potentially has application when established with certain conservation practices; however, conservation practice standards vary by state. For localized information, consult your local NRCS Field Office. NRCS practices include the following: 327-Conservation Cover; 342-Critical Area Planting; 386-Field Border; 390-Riparian Herbaceous Cover; 393-Filter Strip; 512-Pasture and Hay Planting; 550-Range Planting; 560-Access Road; 562-Recreation Area Improvement; 643-Restoration and Management of Declining Habitats; 644-Wetland Wildlife Habitat Management; 647-Early Successional Habitat Development/Management; 656-Constructed Wetland; 657-Wetland Restoration; 658-Wetland Creation; 659-Wetland Enhancement.

Status

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

General: Grass Family (Poaceae). It is a native, warm-season, herbaceous, perennial bunch grass that begins its growth in April. The culms are up to 5 feet tall, slender, and erect. The purple sheaths are covered with hair, especially during early plant growth. The upper part of the plant is rounded and the lower part is slightly flattened and keeled. The blade is ⅛ to ¼ inch wide, 10 to 16 inches long, usually hairy, and curly at maturity. The ligule is small and membranous. The inflorescence has three to six pairs of racemes about 2 inches long with a small tuft of hair at the base. The spikelets are long and hairy. The sessile spikelet is ¼ inch long with a twisted and bent awn that is up to 1 inch long. The pedicillate spikelet is absent or rudimentary. The pedicel is flattened, densely white pubescent, and shorter than the sessile spikelet. After the seed disseminates, a tuft of silver hair remains, which suggests the common name, paintbrush bluestem.

Distribution

Splitbeard bluestem is found in fields, ditches, and open woods throughout the southeastern United States. For current distribution, consult the Plant Profile for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

Establishment

Adaptation: The USDA Hardiness Zones for splitbeard bluestem is 6 to 10. It grows best on well-drained, coarse to medium textured, fertile soil in full sun. However, it can grow in a wide variety of soil conditions and exposures, including light shade and coastal conditions.

Splitbeard bluestem is propagated from seeds or by plant division. The white seeds are produced from early to mid-fall when the clumps reach a basal diameter of 1¼ inches or more. For division, the plants are reproduced from buds at the base of the culms. However, of the two propagation methods, it is best to plant splitbeard bluestem by seed.

The seeds should be planted in late winter as a dormant seeding or when daily temperatures average in the low 60’s. Broadcast the seed and culti-pack, if the right field conditions exist. The seeding rate should be 10 to 12 pure live seed pounds/acre. The seeds should be planted to a depth of ¼ to ¾ inch. If the right field conditions do not exist or intensive seedbed preparation is undesirable, then disk the site and leave the surface as rough as possible. Do not attempt to create a smooth uniform appearance for the seedbed. Broadcast the seed and leave it undisturbed. When seeding under minimal seedbed preparation, increase the seeding rate by 50%.

It is not recommended to mix splitbeard bluestem seeds with cool season grass seeds. In parts of the United States where cool season grasses dominate, the warm season grasses can be taken over because they develop slower than the cool season grasses. It is also recommended that seed should not be moved more than 300 miles north, 100 miles east or west, or 200 miles south of its point of origin.

If division is the desirable way to propagate, then the plants should be placed at 12 inch-centers because the rate of spread is slow.

Management

Splitbeard bluestem does not require fertilizers as the plants can grow in low fertility areas. Overgrazing and frequent haying of splitbeard bluestem results in an increase of this plant. However, if splitbeard bluestem becomes weedy, then burning or mowing is recommended. Check with the local extension service for recommended herbicides. Splitbeard bluestem has no known pests or problems.

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

Please contact your local NRCS Field Office. Common seed and container plants are readily available from a number of growers, wholesalers, and retailers of native seed.

References

Hitchcock, A.S. 1950. Manual of the grasses of the United States. USDA Miscellaneous Publication No 200. Agricultural Research Administration, Washington, D.C. Pp. 760-761.

Leithead, H.L, L.L. Yarlett, & T.N. Shiflet. February 1971. 100 native forage grasses in 11 southern states. USDA SCS Agriculture Handbook No. 389, Washington, D.C. 216p.

Texas A&M University 1997. Grass images: Andropogon ternarius. Bioinformatics Working Group, College Station, Texas. <https://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/taesgrass/4374900t.jpg>.

USDA, NRCS 2003. The PLANTS database. <https://plants.usda.gov>. 001106. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Prepared By

Selena Dawn Newman, USDA, NRCS, Louisiana Plant Materials Program

Maraya Gates, Formerly USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

Species Coordinator

Mike Materne, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Edited 17jan01 jsp; 10feb03ahv; 24may06jsp

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