Shortspike bluestem
Andropogon brachystachyus
Poaceae


Landscape Uses:

Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations.

Ecological Restoration Notes:

Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts and occasionally by native plant nurseries.
Description:
Medium to large herbaceous grass.
Height:
2-3 feet; to 4 feet when in flower
Growth Rate:
Fast.
Range:
Mostly peninsular Florida south to Broward and Collier counties; also eastern Georgia, southeastern South Carolina, and southern Alabama, where very rare; very rare and scattered in the Panhandle and southernmost parts of its range.
Habitats:
Wet pinelands and pond margins.
Soils:
Moist to seasonally wet, well-drained sandy soils, without humus.
Nutritional Requirements:
Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance:
Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance:
Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance:
Moderate; generally requires moist soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.
Light Requirements:
Full sun.
Flower Color:
Brownish inflorescence.
Flower Characteristics:
Semi-showy inflorescence.
Flowering Season:
Summer-fall.
Fruit:
Inconspicuous caryopsis.
Wildlife and Ecology:
Horticultural Notes:
Comments:
Should be cut back after flowering.


Shirley Denton