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bushy beardgrass, bushy bluestem

Photo is of parent taxon

bushy bluestem

Habit Plants cespitose, upper portion dense, oblong to oblanceolate or obpyramidal. Plants oblong to pyramidal in the upper portion.
Culms

20-250 cm;

internodes green, sometimes glaucous;

branches mostly erect, straight.

60-160 cm;

internodes not glaucous.

Sheaths

usually scabrous, sometimes smooth;

ligules 0.6-2.2 mm, sometimes ciliate, cilia to 0.9 mm;

blades 13-109 cm long, 2.9-9.5 mm wide, glabrous or sparsely to densely pubescent, hairs usually spreading, rarely appressed.

(2)2.5-3.4(4.7) mm wide, scabrous;

ligules sometimes ciliate, cilia to 0.3 mm;

blades green, usually scabrous.

Inflorescence units

10-600 per culm; subtending sheaths (2.0)2.9-4.4(6.5) cm long, (1.5)2.3-3.4(4.4) mm wide;

peduncles (1)6-14(60) mm, with 2(4) rames;

rames (1)1.7-2.5(3.5) cm, exserted or not at maturity, pubescence sparse basally and increasing in density distally within each internode.

Sessile

spikelets 3-5 mm;

callus hairs 1-2.5 mm;

keels of lower glumes sometimes scabrous below midlength, usually scabrous distally;

awns 6-19 mm;

anthers 1(3), 0.5-1.5 mm, yellow, red, or purple.

Pedicellate

spikelets vestigial or absent, sterile.

Subtending

sheaths of inflorescence units usually 2.5-3.4 mm wide;

peduncles (4)11-35(60) mm;

rames usually 2.1-2.9 cm, exerted.

Keels

of lower glumes usually smooth below midlength, scabrous distally;

anthers eventually deciduous.

2n

= 20.

Andropogon glomeratus

Andropogon glomeratus var. glomeratus

Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; KY; LA; MA; MD; MS; NC; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; UT; VA; WV; HI; PR; Virgin Islands
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; KY; LA; MA; MD; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; WV; HI
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Andropogon glomeratus hybridizes with both A. longiberbis and A. virginicus. Some of its varieties are morphologically similar to the latter species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Andropogon glomeratus var. glomeratus grows in bogs, swamps, savannahs, flatwoods, and ditches of the southeastern United States.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Blades glaucous, glabrous, and smooth
var. glaucopsis
1. Blades green, often pubescent or scabrous
→ 2
2. Sheaths subtending the inflorescence units 1.5-3 mm wide; leaf sheaths usually smooth; ligules ciliate, the cilia 0.2-0.9 mm long
var. pumilus
2. Sheaths subtending the inflorescence units (1.5)2.3-3.4(4.4) mm wide; leaf sheaths often scabrous; ligules, when ciliate, with the cilia no more than 0.5 mm long.
→ 3
3. Keels of the lower glumes scabrous below and beyond midlength
var. scabriglumis
3. Keels of the lower glumes usually smooth below midlength, scabrous distally.
→ 4
4. Upper portion of the plants oblong to obpyramidal; mature peduncles (4)11-35(60) mm long; anthers eventually falling
var. glomeratus
4. Upper portion of the plants cylindrical to oblong; mature peduncles 2-5 (8) mm long; withered remnants of anthers retained within the spikelets
var. hirsutior
Source FNA vol. 25, p. 661. FNA vol. 25, p. 664.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Andropogoneae > Andropogon > sect. Leptopogon Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Andropogoneae > Andropogon > sect. Leptopogon > Andropogon glomeratus
Sibling taxa
A. arctatus, A. bicornis, A. brachystachyus, A. floridanus, A. gerardii, A. gracilis, A. gyrans, A. hallii, A. liebmannii, A. longiberbis, A. ternarius, A. tracyi, A. virginicus
A. glomeratus var. glaucopsis, A. glomeratus var. hirsutior, A. glomeratus var. pumilus, A. glomeratus var. scabriglumis
Subordinate taxa
A. glomeratus var. glaucopsis, A. glomeratus var. glomeratus, A. glomeratus var. hirsutior, A. glomeratus var. pumilus, A. glomeratus var. scabriglumis
Synonyms A. virginicus var. abbreviatus
Name authority (Walter) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb. unknown
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