Rhizomatous bluestem
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Schizachyrium rhizomatum
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Poaceae
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Landscape Uses:
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Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also an accent grass. |
Ecological Restoration Notes: |
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It can be used as one of many understory herbs in pine rocklands. |
Availability: |
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Grown by enthusiasts. |
Description: |
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Medium herbaceous grass. |
Height: |
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About 1-2 feet in height; up to 6 feet in flower. Spreading from underground stems (rhizomes) and forming small patches broader than tall. |
Growth Rate: |
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Moderate. |
Range: |
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Endemic to South Florida from the Monroe County Keys north to Palm Beach, Hendry and Lee counties. In the Monroe County Keys, disjunct from Miami-Dade County to the pine rocklands of Big Pine Key. |
Habitats: |
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Pinelands and marl prairies. |
Soils: |
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Moist to seasonally wet, well-drained to moderately well-drained limestone or sandy soils, without humus. |
Nutritional Requirements: |
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Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils. |
Salt Water Tolerance: |
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Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water. |
Salt Wind Tolerance: |
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Low; salt wind may burn the leaves. |
Drought Tolerance: |
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High; does not require any supplemental water once established. |
Light Requirements: |
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Full sun. |
Flower Color: |
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Red and green inflorescence. |
Flower Characteristics: |
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Semi-showy inflorescence. |
Flowering Season: |
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Summer-fall. |
Fruit: |
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Inconspicuous caryopsis. |
Wildlife and Ecology: |
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Horticultural Notes: |
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Can be grown from seed and division. |
Comments: |
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Taxonomy: some authors place this into synonomy under S. scoparium. |
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