Common name: Big Bluestem
Scientific name: Andropogon gerardii
Category: Native Grass, Common Perennial
Sample mature size: 2 m tall, 1 m wide; 7 ft tall, 3.5 ft wide
Sunlight: Full-sun
Water: Average
Soil: Sand
Blooms: Green in September, October
Natural habitats: Prairie-savannahs
Wildlife benefits: Bees/wasps 🐝, Butterflies/skippers 🦋, Host plant 🐛, Grassland birds 🦉
Points of interest: - Host plant to the Delaware Skipper, Dusted skipper, and Common Wood Nymph
- Easy care
- Nice fall colour
- Good for eroded areas
- a warm-season perennial grass native to North America.
- It is known for its tall, upright growth habit, reaching heights of 1.5 to 3 meters.
- The grass forms dense clumps with blue-green foliage that turns reddish-brown in the fall.
- Big Bluestem produces distinctive seed heads with three-parted spikes, resembling a turkey's foot.
- It is drought-tolerant and thrives in a variety of soil types, including clay, loam, and sandy soils.
- Often used in prairie restoration, erosion control, and as a forage grass for livestock.
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