Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Andropogon virginicus
Introductory
SPECIES: Andropogon virginicus
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Uchytil, Ronald J. 1992. Andropogon virginicus. In: Fire Effects
Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences
Laboratory (Producer). Available:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/graminoid/andvir/all.html [].
ABBREVIATION :
ANDVIR
SYNONYMS :
NO-ENTRY
SCS PLANT CODE :
ANVI2
ANVIA
ANVIG
ANVIG2
ANVIH
COMMON NAMES :
broomsedge bluestem
broomsedge
broom sedge
yellowsedge bluestem
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name of broomsedge bluestem is
Andropogon virginicus L. [10,29]. Recognized varieties include [29]:
Andropogon virginicus var. abbreviatus (Hackel) Fernald & Griscom
Andropogon virginicus var. glaucopsis (Ell.) Hitchcock
Andropogon virginicus var. glaucus Hackel
Andropogon virginicus var. hirsutior (Hackel) Hitchcock
Andropogon virginicus var. tetrastachyus (Ell.) Hackel
Andropogon virginicus var. virginicus
LIFE FORM :
Graminoid
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Andropogon virginicus
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Broomsedge bluestem grows throughout the Southeast from the 25-inch mean
annual precipitation belt (southeastern Nebraska south through eastern
Texas) eastward. It is found as far north as Iowa, Ohio, and New York.
Outlying introduced populations occur in southern California and Hawaii
[18,33].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES12 Longleaf - slash pine
FRES13 Loblolly - shortleaf pine
FRES14 Oak - pine
FRES15 Oak - hickory
FRES32 Texas savanna
FRES38 Plains grasslands
FRES39 Prairie
STATES :
AL AR CA CT DE FL GA HI IL IN
IA KS KY LA MD MS MO NE NJ NY
NC OH OK PA RI SC TN TX VA WV
MEXICO
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
3 Southern Pacific Border
7 Lower Basin and Range
14 Great Plains
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K074 Bluestem prairie
K077 Bluestem - sacahuista prairie
K079 Palmetto prairie
K082 Mosaic of K074 and K100
K083 Cedar glades
K084 Cross Timbers
K100 Oak - hickory forest
K111 Oak - hickory - pine forest
K112 Southern mixed forest
K114 Pocosin
K116 Subtropical pine forest
SAF COVER TYPES :
40 Post oak - blackjack oak
69 Sand pine
70 Longleaf pine
78 Virginia pine - oak
79 Virginia pine
80 Loblolly pine - shortleaf pine
81 Loblolly pine
82 Loblolly pine - hardwood
83 Longleaf pine - slash pine
84 Slash pine
97 Atlantic white-cedar
98 Pond pine
111 South Florida slash pine
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
NO-ENTRY
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Andropogon virginicus
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Broomsedge bluestem is not a particularly important cattle forage but is
sometimes heavily grazed during the spring and early summer on sites
where it is abundant, such as abandoned fields [11,18]. It is generally
considered a poor wildlife forage [9,25]. Small birds remove and eat
seeds from the flowering stalks in the winter when the seeds of other
plants are unavailable [23].
PALATABILITY :
Broomsedge bluestem's palatability to cattle is low [34].
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
The nutritive value of broomsedge bluestem is low except in early growth
stages. Nutritional quality is greatly increased by prescribed burning
[see Fire Management Considerations].
COVER VALUE :
Broomsedge bluestem's chief value to wildlife is as bird nesting cover
[23]. In a Georgia study, it was one of the most common plant species
associated with quail nests. Quail apparently prefer stands of
broomsedge bluestem because the plants surround and overtop the nest
[12].
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Broomsedge bluestem is a common invader of abandoned coal strip mines
and quarries, and frequently becomes the dominant ground cover [24,32].
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
NO-ENTRY
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Broomsedge bluestem is considered a pasture weed. It frequently invades
improperly managed pasture lands, and because of its low palatability,
increases on deteriorating ranges. To reduce its abundance, pastures
should be heavily grazed in the early spring when broomsedge bluestem is
most palatable, and then deferred from grazing for 60 to 90 days [18].
In pastures heavily infested with broomsedge bluestem in Missouri, a
combination of drilling with tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea),
fertilization, winter mowing, and grazing eliminated broomsedge bluestem
in 4 years [28].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Andropogon virginicus
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Broomsedge bluestem is a 2- to 4-foot-tall (0.6-1.2 m), native,
warm-season, perennial bunchgrass that usually grows in rather small
clumps [9,18]. In South Carolina, maximum clump diameter was achieved
in 7 or 8 years, and averaged about 3.5 inches (9 cm); no clumps were
greater than 5.1 inches (13 cm) in diameter [8]. It is easily
distinguished from other bluestems by its slender appearance and
straw-colored leaves and inflorescences [9].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Hemicryptophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Broomsedge bluestem's primary mode of reproduction is sexual. It is a
prolific producer of small seeds that are dispersed by wind and readily
establish on exposed soil. Each flowering culm may have as many as 50
racemes, and each raceme 8 to 12 spikelets [37]. Germination is
relatively high after cold stratification. Eighty-four percent of
broomsedge bluestem seeds germinated after 38 days when sown on flats of
field sand and kept indoors [8]. Seedling survival in the field is
high. First-year seedlings in North Carolina averaged 5 inches (13 cm)
in height, while 1- and 2-year-old plants averaged 40 inches (100 cm) in
height and 3 inches (7.5 cm) in basal circumference [16]. Flowering
begins when plants are 2 or 3 years old, and continues thereafter
[8,16].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Broomsedge bluestem grows in a wide variety of open habitats, from
grassland and pastureland to open woodland. It is especially common in
oldfields, overgrazed pastures, and cut-over Southeastern pinelands, and
along roads and railroad tracks [9,11,25,33]. It is most common on
sandy soils but also grows on a variety of other soil textures [11,18].
It grows well on low-fertility soils, especially those on eroded,
"worn-out" fields [18].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Broomsedge bluestem is a shade-intolerant, seral species. It invades
abandoned cropland, roadsides, overgrazed range, and logged-over
pinelands. It is one of the most common invaders of abandoned
agricultural lands and often forms a continuous cover within 4 or 5
years of abandonment [26]. Broomsedge bluestem is relatively
short-lived. Once established, it depends upon periodic disturbance to
maintain its abundance.
On infertile soils, broomsedge bluestem acts as a long-lived competitor.
Nearly pure stands can persist on soils low in nitrogen or phosphorus as
a result of competition and allelopathy. Decaying broomsedge bluestem
inhibits the growth of carelessweed (Amaranthus palmeri), Japanese brome
(Bromus japonicus), prairie threeawn (Aristida oligantha), and little
bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) [31].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Broomsedge bluestem's vegetative growth begins in the winter or spring
when daytime temperatures average 60 to 65 degrees F (15-18 deg C) [18].
In North Carolina, flower stalks form by September, and seeds ripen by
late October [8,16]. At the end of the growing season, nearly all green
material dies, leaving a large accumulation of standing dead material
[8].
Phenology of broomsedge bluestem near Gainesville, Florida, was as
follows [28]:
flowering - late September to early October
seed dispersal - early October to mid-December
vegetative growth - February and March, June and July
leaves green - March to late November
drying - late November to mid-December
dormancy - January
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Andropogon virginicus
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Broomsedge bluestem is both a fire survivor and an off-site colonizer.
Burned plants quickly initiate new top-growth from surviving meristems.
In Hawaii, broomsedge bluestem began sprouting within 4 days after fire
[14]. In southern Florida, it initiated new top-growth 3 weeks after
prescribed burning in mid-February [13]. Additionally, new plants are
commonly established the first year after fire from abundant
wind-dispersed seed [19].
FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Tussock graminoid
Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Andropogon virginicus
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Fire apparently has little effect on broomsedge bluestem except for
removal of aboveground living and dead biomass. Small bunchgrasses are
generally not harmed by fire and recover relatively quickly [40].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Broomsedge bluestem depends on frequent disturbance to maintain itself.
Fires at 1- to 3-year intervals favor this species and tend to maintain
its abundance [21]. In loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) stands in South
Carolina, broomsedge bluestem was rare in unburned areas, infrequent in
areas periodically burned in the summer or winter, but common in areas
burned annually in the summer or winter, or biennially in the summer
[21,39]. Broomsedge bluestem is most abundant during the first few
years after fire. After a few years without fire (or other
disturbance), litter builds up and plant vigor declines [19]. In
eastern Arkansas, broomsedge bluestem was the dominant grass on prairies
burned and hayed annually for decades, but without these disturbances
was eliminated after 16 years [15].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Grazing considerations: The nutritional quality and digestibility of
new broomsedge bluestem growth are significantly increased following
fire. When burned in January or February in Georgia, protein content on
March 15 was 13 percent for plants on burned sites but only 5.5 percent
for plants on unburned sites. However, nutrient increases are
short-lived. By June 15, protein content of burned and unburned plants
was similar at 6.2 and 6.0 percent, respectively [20]. Tender and
nutritious, this new growth is palatable to cattle and horses.
Following a July wildfire on Cumberland Islands National Seashore,
Georgia, horses heavily grazed broomsedge bluestem regrowth but avoided
nearby plants that had not burned [3].
Prescribed burning considerations: Studying the fuel characteristics of
broomsedge bluestem, Fujioka and Fujii [5] found the leaves and stalks
have a surface area-to-volume ratio 2.5 times as large as that in the
National Fire Danger Rating System model for perennial grass. After a
few years without fire, broomsedge bluestem stands contain much of this
dead, highly flammable material which carries fire well. It burns at
relatively high relative humidities (80-90%) and high fuel moisture
(20-25%) [14]. On a 4-year-old loblolly pine clearcut in South
Carolina, an early February prescribed fire in cured broomsedge bluestem
carried fire at a rate of spread of 2.5 to 3.6 feet per minute (0.76-1.1
m/min). Burning took place only 4 days after a rain of 0.42 inch (1 cm)
and 7 days after a rain of 0.91 inch (2.3 cm). Flame heights were
generally 1 to 3 feet (0.3-0.9 m) and occasionally reached 4 to 5 feet
(1.2-1.5 m) [38].
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Andropogon virginicus
REFERENCES :
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