Andropogon gerardii
big bluestem
Poaceae, the grass family
Coefficient of Conservatism = 5
Photo taken August 25, 2005 at OSU-Marion by Bob Klips
Big blusestem is the principal grass of the tallgrass prairie. Growing up to 8 feet tall, it has been pointed out that this is higher than a man on horseback, and settlers sometimes became lost in the prairie! To find someone in such jeopardy, a rescuer would need to find a hummock to view from which to spot rustling of the grasses.
The grass spikelets (the tiny flower clusters of grasses) are arranged in a few elongate spikes. This compound inflorescence whimsically resembles a turkey’s foot, hence the grass is sometimes called that.
Photo taken August 2, 2001, at OSU-Marion by Bob Klips.
Grass flowers are minute, and lack colorful parts because they are wind-pollinated. The anthers produce copious amounts of pollen from anthers held dangling downwards on thin filaments. The pollen-receptive stigmas are featherlike, well suited for catching the sirborne pollen.
Photo taken at OSU-Marion on August 5, 2005 by Bob Klips.