Virginia ecotype
- Duration: Perennial, warm season bunchgrass
- Habit: Upright, clumping
- Size: 1-4 ft. high, half as wide
- Habitat: Prairies, roadsides, steep topography and hills, dry open woods, forest edges
- Moisture: Dry to average, well-draining
- Light: Full sun, part sun; best performance in full sun
- Soils: Clay, loamy, sandy, rocky, must be well draining
- Uses: prairie restoration, steep topography, wild meadows, added texture to landscape, en-mass plantings
Andropogon ternarius (Splitbeard bluestem)
In the spring and summer, blades of this tough grass are blue-green, and in the fall turn into a kaleidoscope of blues, purples and reds, curing to straw-colored hues after the first killing frost.
Andropogon ternarius is known as splitbeard bluestem due to its 'Y' or 'V' shaped seedheads. The inflorescences emerge covered in silvery, white hairs, giving an effect with shimmering silvery tufts that sparkle in the sunlight. En-mass in the wild this grass is a sight to behold in autumn and winter.
Splitbeard bluestem grass thrives in poor soils that are coarse, rocky, or sandy and well draining. Perfect for tough spots and steep topography, lending itself equally well to planned landscapes and ecological restorations. It will flop over in high fertility soils, and prefers lean soils and high root competition. Companion plants to consider include other species for dry and poor areas: Liatris pilosa or Liatris squarrosa, Achillea millefolium (White Yarrow), Largeflower aster, and Solidago nemoralis (Gray goldenrod).
This species is a larval host plant for numerous insects, such as leafhoppers, grasshoppers, and a few skipper butterflies. Provides nesting material, seed and shelter for insects, small mammals and birds.