Big Bluestem

Notes:

Big bluestem exhibits wide ecotypic variation. It is generally shorter at maturity in the northern portion of its range, and taller in the southern portion of its range. This variation may also be found within a local area. Flower stalks vary in height from 3 feet (0.9 m) on moist slopes to 7 to 12 feet (2.1-3.6 m) on rich bottomland sites. Throughout the tallgrass and mixed-grass prairie regions, big bluestem normally is a rhizomatous, sod-forming grass. But when found in more arid locations, or on drier slopes, its appearance is more similar to a bunchgrass.