Andropogon glomeratus
An attractive, native warm-season, clump-forming grass that thrives in moist to wet sites, features dense, feathery inflorescences that glow silvery white with pinkish tints in fall, turns coppery-orange in autumn, and provides wildlife habitat and seasonal garden interest.
Common Names
Bushy Bluestem, Bushy Beardgrass, Brushy Bluestem, Bushy Broom Grass, Broomsedge, Bushy Bluebeard
Summary
Andropogon glomeratus is a perennial bunchgrass native to the eastern United States. It forms dense tufts with upright culms 2–6 ft tall and 2–3 ft wide, with green to blue-green leaves turning coppery-orange in fall, and dense, bushy panicles that are silvery white to pinkish, giving a bushy beard-like appearance. In cultivation it prefers full sun and moist to wet soils and suits native, butterfly, or winter-interest gardens as well as rain gardens and wetlands; it may self-seed and spread, and propagates by seed or division; old foliage can be cut back in late winter to encourage new growth; seeds are eaten by songbirds and small mammals, and the plant serves as a larval host for skipper butterflies.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
3-6 feet
Spread
2-3 feet
Hardiness Zones
Zones 5-9
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally Full Sun; tolerates Partial Shade (light shade) but does not tolerate heavy shade.
Soil Type
Moist loamy soil
Soil Drainage
Moist but well-drained soil.
Soil pH
Tolerates all pH levels
Bloom Color
Silvery pink to white
Bloom Time
Late Summer to Fall
Foliage Color
Blue-green to green foliage that turns copper-orange in fall and winter
Fall Foliage Color
Warm copper to orange and rich red in fall.
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Medium
Seasons of Interest
Fall, Winter, Summer
Propagation Methods
Seeds and Division
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts birds, butterflies
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- (Walter) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb.
- Publication
- Prelim. Cat. : 67 (1888)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Poales
- Family
- Poaceae
- Genus
- Andropogon
Synonyms
Anatherum macrourum Andropogon corymbosus Andropogon densus Andropogon glomeratus subsp. reinoldii Andropogon glomeratus var. corymbosus Andropogon macrourum var. abbreviatus Andropogon macrourum var. corymbosus Andropogon macrourus Andropogon macrourus var. abbreviatus Andropogon macrourus var. corymbosus Andropogon reinoldii Andropogon spathaceus Andropogon virginicus var. abbreviatus Andropogon virginicus var. corymbosus Cinna glomerata Dimeiostemon macrourus Sorghum glomeratum Andropogon montanus var. glaucopsis Andropogon glomeratus var. glomeratus Capillipedium parviflorum f. glaucopsis Anatherum virginicum subvar. glomeratum Anatherum virginicum subvar. reinoldii Andropogon macrourus var. genuinus Andropogon corymbosus var. abbreviatus Andropogon glomeratus var. abbreviatus