Stem: The hairless stem has a blue-green, purplish to red coloration.  

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Flowers: each flower comes off the top of the stem like a bird's foot with three to six fingerlike branches with each spike up to 10 cm (4 in) long. The spikes are yellowish-purple. Fine hairs cover the spikelet stalks.

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Leaves: the upper leaf surface of the leaves has white hairs near its base. The autumn color is a rusty tan. The open sheath has a clear "v" shape. Leaves are flat and green.

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Sun:  Full sun

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Ideal conditions: moist soils with full sun

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INPAWS Natural Communities: Prairie grassland (sun)

all photos by Nathanael Pilla

Big Bluestem grass

Andropogon gerardii Vitman

Family:     Poaceae (Grass family)

Duration:  Perennial

Height:     up to 275 cm (up to 9 ft)

Blooming: Aug.-Sept.

 

Comments: As a warm season grass, it spends its summer growing then flowering in late summer, early fall.​  It is an important species for foraging in the tall grass prairies of North America. Big bluestem has also been called turkeyfoot grass due to its inflorescence appearance of a turkey's foot.

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Etymology: The epithet, gerardii, is in recognition for the botanist, Louis Gérard, who published the seminal, Flora Gallo-Provincialis.  The genus Andropogon comes from the two Greek words andros meaning, "man", and -pogon meaning, "beard".

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Landscape: big bluestem is a great edge or accent grass that provides a showy summer and autumn color, unique inflorescence, and size.  This brilliant grass adds bronze, brown, purple, red, and blue color hints into your landscape.  Prevents soil erosion as well.

SOURCES & FURTHER RESOURCES:

Bonap map - Andropogon gerardii

Illinois Wildflowers - Big bluestem grass

Michigan Flora - Andropogon gerardii

Shirley, S. 1994. Restoring the Tallgrass Prairie. University of Iowa Press, Iowa City, Iowa. pp. 258.

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