Andropogon virginicus

Andropogon virginicus
	Andropogon virginicus
Systematics
	Commelinids
Order :	Sweet grass (Poales)
Family :	Sweet grasses (Poaceae)
Subfamily :	Panicoideae
Genre :	Andropogon
Type :	Andropogon virginicus
Scientific name
	Andropogon virginicus
	L.

Andropogon virginicus (English common name broomsedge bluestem , in German about "bluestalked broom sedge") is a perennial sweet grass of North American prairies . Other names are popotillo , whiskey grass , and yellow bluestem . Some botanists consider Andropogon glomeratus and Andropogon virginicus to be a common species. Currently, however, they are officially listed as different species because theycan be distinguished morphologically ( morpho species ).

description

inflorescence

The clump grass Andropogon virginicus is native to North America. Its growing season begins at an average daily temperature of approx. 16 ° C. The slender and upright stalks are up to 1.2 m high. The flattened leaf sheaths are hairy. The upper part of the stalk is approximately stem-round, while lower sections are slightly flattened and keeled. The ligule is fine and membrane-like. The leaf blade measures 0.7 to 1.25 cm in width and becomes up to 24 cm long; their surface feels clearly rough.

The inflorescence is a panicle with two to four racemes that are about 2.5 cm long. The basal branches of the panicle are enclosed in an inflated, yellow-brown flower sheath that is at least as long as the spikelet . The upper lemma of the sitting spikelet has a straight awn approx. 13 mm long; the stalked spikelet is absent. The seeds ripen in 6 weeks to 2 months.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 20.

distribution

Andropogon virginicus occurs in North and Central America and from the islands of the Caribbean to Venezuela.

Taxonomy

Synonyms for Andropogon virginicus L. are Sorghum virginicum (L.) Kuntze , Cinna lateralis Walter , Anatherum virginicum Spreng. and Cymbopogon glaucus Schult.

use

The early growth of Andropogon virginicus in spring and early summer is assumed by cattle; the more mature parts of the plant are no longer eaten by the animals and contain only a few nutrients anyway. The plant does not require fertilization and tends to spread when grassland is overgrazed or too intensive pruning is done. In this case, the grass can also become a weed that can be fought with burning or plowing under. There are no known diseases or problems with this grass.

It is an important source of food for wildlife. Different species of mammals eat the plant with its seeds in winter when no other food is available. Toothed quail in particular , such as the Virginia quail , depend on the grass.

The grass is often used in garden design because of its intense orange color that lasts through winter. It is also increasingly used in erosion control, as it still thrives on poor soils that otherwise no longer have any vegetation. In nature conservation, methods of planting have also become established, but they differ from state to state.

literature

United States Department of Agriculture / National Ressources Conservation Service: Plant Guide BROOMSEDGE BLUESTEM (PDF file; 127 kB)

Individual evidence

^ Tropicos. [1]
↑ ^a ^b Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Andropogon virginicus. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved May 30, 2020.

Web links

Commons : Andropogon virginicus - collection of images, videos and audio files

Andropogon virginicus inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Romand-Monnier, F., 2009. Retrieved April 8, 2014.

[Tropicos-1] Tropicos. [1]

[WCSP-2] Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Andropogon virginicus. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved May 30, 2020.