Interesting Notes

Big bluestem, the "King of Grasses", is the official Illinois prairie grass. It produces better quality and greater amounts of forage than any other native American prairie grass. Cows and bison love it. Big bluestem once dominated the tall-grass prairies of North America, forming rippling waves of amber taller than a man on horseback from the Rocky Mountains to the eastern forests. But most of the prairie was plowed under so European settlers could grow corn and wheat. Remnants of the original prairie still persist in old cemeteries, along railroad tracks, between airport runways, and in a few scattered ranches, mostly owned by The Nature Conservancy or Ted Turner. Although the prairies are largely gone, big bluestem is still an important forage grass in parts of the Mississippi valley and a dominant component in prairie hay. Floridata

Native grasses are the larval food plants of the Leonard's Skipper (Hesperia leonardus ), both Andropogon gerardii, and A.scoparius with needlegrass (Stipa spp.) and dropseed (Sporobolis heterolepsis) as well as Panicum virgatum. The larvae pupate in early August probably amid plant debris like other Hesperia species. Wisconsin DNR

Growing and Maintenance Tips

A. gerardii can be found in moist meadows and along side roads and rivers from Canada to Mexico. Very tolerant of diverse conditions in full sun, dry and sandy to clay soils. Grows the fastest in moist fertile soils, but is more likely to bend and fall over. Spreads by scaly rhizomes. Propagate by seed or divide clumps every few years and cut stems down to the ground in early spring before new growth occurs. Best used as an accent, in naturalized areas or for erosion control.