BEARDGRASSES 



Andropo'gon spp., syns. Schizachy'rium spp., Amphi'lophis spp. 



Andropogon is a large genus of perennial grasses which are widely 

 distributed in the warmer parts of the world. In the United States, 

 they are best represented in the Southeast, but species of this genus 

 are found in all the Western States, except possibly Oregon and 

 Washington. The genus is the namesake of the sorghum tribe 

 (Andropogoneae) and is the largest in number of species (about 

 150) in this tribe although not the most important economically ? as 

 the sorghums and sugarcane belong to other genera of this tribe. 

 The andropogons are abundant in the Plains States and the South- 

 west. Prairie beardgrass, or little bluestem (A. scoparrius), is often 

 the most abundant grass in the northern Plains States on dry sandy 

 soils. In the southern Plains States some species, notably blue joint 

 turkey foot, or "big bluestem" (A. furcatus, syn. A. provincialis), fre- 

 quently occur in dense stands and are cut for hay. In the South- 

 west the drought resistance of certain species increases their utility 

 on arid ranges where they comprise a large proportion of the her- 

 baceous plant growth. 



The beardgrasses are palatable to livestock while young and ten- 

 der but they become coarse and tough rather early in the summer 

 and are little grazed during late summer and fall. The plants 

 cure well, however, and are utilized by cattle and horses as winter 

 forage. Silver beardgrass (A. saccharoides, syn. A. argenteus] has 

 attractively conspicuous flower and seed clusters (inflorescences) and 

 is grown as an ornamental. 



Beardgrass is perhaps the most common name for this genus 

 although certain species, like many other common range plants, 

 have fairly well-established individual names, such as broomsedge 

 (A. virginicus) and turkeyfoot (A. hallii). The name, beardgrass, 

 is a rather literal interpretation of the scientific name Andropogon, 

 which is derived from the Greek andros (man's) and pogon (beard), 

 referring to the long white hairs which, in many species, occur in the 

 heads. 



Stems of the beardgrasses are solid or pithy (like cornstalks) 

 differing in this respect from most other grasses which have hollow 

 stems partitioned at the joints. Individual flower groups (spikelets) 

 are in rather narrow, spikelike clusters (racemes), each stalk (culm) 

 usually producing several racemes which are borne either singly, 

 in twos or in groups of several to many. The raceme axis (rachis) 

 is jointed and generally hairy with two spikelets at each joint in 

 most species. One spikelet is without an individual stalk (sessile) 

 and is seed-producing (fertile) ; the other is stalked, does not produce 

 seed, and often consists of a single small bract. 



Some authors state that yetiver, a mat-making fiber, and that 

 citronella, cuscus, and certain other aromatic commercial oils are 

 derived from various Old World species of Andropogon, but the 

 best present-day botanical opinion is that such species are preferably 

 placed in the related genera Cymbopogon and Vetiv&ria~ 



