Shortspike Bluestem
Andropogon brachystachyus
Shortspike bluestem is a clumping Southeastern warm-season grass with slender stems and fluffy seed heads, glowing copper in fall. A host for skipper butterflies and cover for ground-nesting birds.
- Family
- Poaceae
- Type
- grass
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 2–4 ft
- Spacing
- 1–2 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- moist
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral
- Bloom
- July, August, September, October, November, December
- Bloom colors
- white, green
- Wildlife value
- songbirds, larval host, mammals
- Landscape uses
- specimen, border, naturalizing
- Native states
- FL
Related native plants
More Andropogon species
- Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
- Broomsedge Bluestem (Andropogon virginicus)
- Bushy Bluestem (Andropogon glomeratus)
- Splitbeard Bluestem (Andropogon ternarius)
- Chalky Bluestem (Andropogon capillipes)