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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 

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