Big Bluestem (Andropogon Gerardii)

Local Name: Big Bluestem

Botanical Name: Andropogon gerardii

Family: Poaceae

Native Status: Dakota County Native

Landscape Archetype: Prairie, Grassland, Savanna 

Life Cycle: Perennial

Sun Exposure: Full sun but tolerates part sun conditions

Soil Moisture: Dry to Mesic

Soil Type: Loam, Sand, Gravel, Clay

Height & Width Range: Height: Shoulders 36"–48", Head 48"–72" Width: 24"–36"

Bloom Color: Reddish‑purple

Morphology Notes: A very tall, warm‑season grass that forms dense, statuesque clumps of blue‑green (glaucous) stems with arching leaf blades. This plant’s fall color ranges from glowing copper to deep purple. Flowering branches split into three spikes, whose form gives this plant its nickname, “turkey foot.” Each flowering spike is lined with tight rows of reddish‑purple spikelets that, upon closer examination they have a dangling, maroon and yellow perfect flowers with an unassuming beauty. Its root system is fibrous and extremely deep with roots reaching up to 10–15 ft, with a long‑lived crown that expands steadily over time.

Fruits and Seeds: Seedheads mature into narrow, awned spikelets arranged along the turkey‑foot branch. Seeds ripen to warm brown, these persistent clusters that stand deep into winter. The dried heads catch low light and hold structure above the snowline. Pull your hand along the stem for some kinesthetic pleasure and collect the seeds with ease. Spread those seeds freely in consumer slums, neighbor’s yards and abandon lots to bring this plant back to its lost glory as the king of the prairie. 

Habit and habitat: Big Bluestem is an amazingly adaptive species that can grow in nearly any site with full sun conditions, from roadside ditches to exposed cliff faces on high hills. While it is the ultimate symbol of the tall grass prairie, you’ll be surprised where you find this plant, from hilltops, glacial till prairies, exposed slopes, and open savannas. Prefers lean, well‑drained soils and full sun, but will tolerate part sun. With more moisture it will easily climb to 6 feet tall, however in richer soils it can grow tall and flop over. Moderately tolerant of clay, alkaline soils, salt and seasonal flooding. Highly tolerant of fire, drought, and seasonal extremes. Reward it by burning or cutting it to the ground in Fall or Spring, it will reciprocate with luscious growth the following season. 

Companions: ALL THE TALL PRAIRIE GRASSES: Yellow Prairie Grass (Sorghastrum nutans), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). ALL THE SILPHIUMS: S. terebinthinaceum, S. laciniatum, S. perfoliatum, S. integrifolium, ALL THE NATIVE SUNFLOWERS we highly recommend Helianthus maximiliani and Helianthus giganteus. Mix with a wide variety of more aggressive flowering forbs that meet the cultural situations. For Drier Conditions: Missouri Ironweed (Vernonia missurica), Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), Gray‑headed Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) For Wetter Conditions: Tall Coreopsis (Coreopsis tripteris), Eutrochium maculatum (Spotted Joe Pye Weed), Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata). 

Ecological Associations: Big Bluestem supports a wide guild of insects, possibly too many to list, but here’s a good go: Leafhoppers, planthoppers, and small true bugs move through the stems in high numbers, forming an important prey base for predatory insects and birds. Several skipper species shelter near the base, and grass‑feeding butterfly caterpillars such as Common Wood Nymph (Cercyonis pegala) use the dense crowns for cover, while true grass skippers like Delaware Skipper (Anatrytone logan) and Ottoe Skipper (Hesperia ottoe) rely on prairie grasses as larval hosts. Larvae of grass‑feeding moths in the Crambidae and Noctuidae guilds also use Big Bluestem. Beetles and other herbivores feed on the foliage, and the open soil pockets around the crown provide nesting entry points for ground‑nesting bees. Fireflies (Lampyridae) use the tall stems and surrounding thatch as display and hunting structure. Tall stems offer perches for dragonflies. Regenerative farmers use this species in restoration farming because it is highly nutritious for cows and other ungulates. For centuries, Big Bluestem was a staple of the American Bison’s diet as herds chased it’s growth between lands we now call Canada and Texas. You’ll read, hear and see that this plant isn’t recommended for home landscapes…but for those who make those claims, we would like to remind them there’s a reason this plant once covered nearly half of North America. Kill your lawn and embrace the abundance of Big Bluestem. 

Provenance: Dakota County 

NH Propagation Technique: Seed

Special Powers: Alongside Yellow Prairie Grass (Sorghastrum nutans), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), and Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), Big Bluestem stands as one of the Four Horsemen of the Tallgrass Prairie. This ecosystem once covered millions of acres across America, and today less than one percent survives intact making it one of the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. Erased by development, agriculture, and a long history of neglect, these prairies weren’t just scenery for manifest destiny. They were the lifeblood of cultures and the home of many creatures for millennia. We have done our darndest to destroy Big Bluestem and yet it persists on the peripheries, simultaneously representing everything that is wrong with America and everything that is great about it. Those deep, perennial root systems living and dying every year built the deep rich soils that became the Midwest agricultural complex that we exploit today. If left undisturbed those prairie soils would have stored more carbon below ground than most old growth forests do above. Big Bluestem is living infrastructure doing the job of carbon sequestration, erosion protection, rain infiltration, drought resiliency, food for animals, homes for insects, beauty and mythology. Now imagine that power harnessed in your community. Bring this legend back one plug at a time.