Andropogon virginicus

Identification tip: Main stems are 2-4' tall. Leaf blades are flat or folded, 10 to 15 inches long, 1/8-1/4" wide, with scattered long hairs at the base on the upper side. Leaf sheaths are shorter than the internodes, somewhat flattened at the base and usually have hairs along the lower margins. It produces seed at the upper nodes. The downy, fuzzy, flowering parts are partially enclosed in the sheath and from a distance appear silvery. The bluestems have pithy stems like corn, while most other grasses have hollow stems.

The following information for the genus Andropogon: Animals that eat its seeds: Prairie chicken, Wild turkey, Chipping sparrow, Meadow mouse. Animals that eat the plants: White-tailed deer, meadow mouse (Martin et al. 1951). It is a poor plant for livestock grazing and a common invader on marginal ranges. Some green shoots are eaten in early spring, but it is usually grazed only if more preferred grasses are absent. Provides nesting habitat for ground nesting birds.

A warm-season bunchgrass that reproduces by seed. It has a shallow root system and can usually be easily pulled up by hand. It is found on lighter soils throughout the eastern half of the U.S. and as of 1955 it was reported to be spreading (Philips Petr

Sandy woodlands. Grows on lighter soils throughout the eastern half of the United States.