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Big bluestem

English
  • Native Plants,
  • Annuals, perennials and bulbs
Big bluestem
Photo: Jardin botanique de Montréal (Stéphane Bailleul)
Andropogon gerardii
  • Andropogon gerardii
  • Andropogon gerardii

Onglets

Botany

Origin and description

Perennial grass native to Québec. Its summertime bluish-green foliage turns red-bronze in the fall. Its reddish spikes are divided into three, somewhat resembling the feet of a chicken or a turkey, whence one of its common names: turkeyfoot.

 

Flowering: reddish, August to October

Attractions for wildlife: attracts birds

Exposure: sun

Soil type: fresh to dry

Common name

Big bluestem

Latin name (genus)

Andropogon gerardii

English common name

Big bluestem

French common name

Barbon de Gérard

Botanical family

  • Poaceae
Horticulture

Growing conditions

Exposure: sun
Soil type: fresh to dry

Hardiness

  • Zone 4

See also

Pests and diseases
Physiological disorders