Bluestem (4)

Bluestems can be recognized by their stout stems, which are not blue but may be reddish or purplish, basal leaves and hairy seed heads that are branched from a single point. See also Little Bluestem.

	Yellow Bluestem Bothriochloa ischaemum Family: Grass (Poaceae) AKA: King Ranch Bluestem Photo taken on: October 15, 2011 Location: White Rock, NM Life Zones: Plains and foothills Habitat: Roadsides, prairies, waste ground Grows to 3 feet tall with 2 to 8 side stems up to 4" long attached to the main stem near the same point making a fan shape. The flowers are reddish with a bent bristle and a tuft of white hairs at the base.
	Compare to Windmill Grass which grows to only 2 feet tall. Photo taken on: October 15, 2011 Location: White Rock, NM
	Cane Bluestem Bothriochloa barbinodis (Andropogon barbinodis) Family: Grass (Poaceae) AKA: Cane Beardgrass Photo taken on: October 18, 2011 Location: White Rock, NM Life Zones: Plains and foothills Habitat: Roadsides, prairies, waste areas Grows to 4 ft tall with straw colored stems and showy, feathery flower heads up to 6" long. Below is Cane Bluestem in flower.
	Silver Bluestem Bothriochloa laguroides (Andropogon saccharoides) Family: Grass (Poaceae) AKA: Silver Beardgrass Photo taken on: September 15, 2011 Location: White Rock, NM Life Zones: Plains and foothills Habitat: Roadsides, prairies, waste areas Grows to 3½ feet with plume-like flower spikes of 6 or more side stems. Distinguished by the long silky hairs on the flowers.
	Sand Bluestem Andropogon hallii Family: Grass (Poaceae) AKA: Sand Hill Bluestem, Hall's Bluestem, Hall's Beardgrass, Prairie Bluestem Photo taken on: September 14, 2014 Location: Great Sand Dunes NP, CO Life Zones: Plains and foothills Habitat: Sandy soil A robust plant that can grow to 7 feet tall, these were 4 feet tall, in dense clumps. Leaves are green to bluish-green and flat. Flower head has two to seven side stems. After flowering the seed-heads are densely hairy.

Grasses, Sedges & Rushes