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bushy beardgrass, bushy bluestem

Elliott's bluestem

Habit Plants cespitose, upper portion dense, oblong to oblanceolate or obpyramidal. Plants cespitose, cylindrical to ovate above.
Culms

20-250 cm;

internodes green, sometimes glaucous;

branches mostly erect, straight.

30-100 (140) cm;

internodes usually glaucous;

branches mostly erect, straight.

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.

smooth;

ligules 0.3-1.5 mm, sometimes ciliate, cilia to 0.7 mm;

blades 6-48 cm long, 0.8-5 mm wide, glabrous or densely pubescent with spreading hairs.

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.

2-31 per culm; subtending sheaths (2.6)4.1-4.5(13.5) cm long, (1.5)2.7-4.7(8) mm wide;

peduncles (1)5-31(195) mm, with 2-5 rames;

rames (1.5)2.8-4.2(6) cm, exserted or not at maturity, pubescence 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.

spikelets (3)3.9-4.7(5.7) mm;

callus hairs 1-5 mm;

keels of lower glumes scabrous only beyond midlength;

awns 8-24 mm;

anthers 1, 0.6-1.4(1.7) mm, yellow or purple.

Pedicellate

spikelets vestigial or absent, sterile.

spikelets vestigial or absent.

2n

= 20.

= 20.

Andropogon glomeratus

Andropogon gyrans

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
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from FNA
AL; AR; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV
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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 gyrans extends from the southeastern United States to the Caribbean and Central America.

(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
1. Ligules 0.3-1.1 mm long; rames usually hidden within the more or less overlapping and inflated upper sheaths at maturity; plants usually of well-drained soils
var. gyrans
1. Ligules 0.8-1.5 mm long; rames usually exposed at maturity; plants of wet habitats
var. stenophyllus
Source FNA vol. 25, p. 661. FNA vol. 25, p. 657.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Andropogoneae > Andropogon > sect. Leptopogon Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Andropogoneae > Andropogon > sect. Leptopogon
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. arctatus, A. bicornis, A. brachystachyus, A. floridanus, A. gerardii, A. glomeratus, A. gracilis, A. hallii, A. liebmannii, A. longiberbis, A. ternarius, A. tracyi, A. virginicus
Subordinate taxa
A. glomeratus var. glaucopsis, A. glomeratus var. glomeratus, A. glomeratus var. hirsutior, A. glomeratus var. pumilus, A. glomeratus var. scabriglumis
A. gyrans var. gyrans, A. gyrans var. stenophyllus
Synonyms A. subtenuis, A. elliottii var. projectus, A. elliottii
Name authority (Walter) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb. Ashe
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