Andropogon hallii Hack., sand bluestem 
DESCRIPTION 
Warm-season , rhizomatous perennial. 
Height: 4 to 6 feet. 
Leaf blade : Long ; flat ; strongly ribbed. 
Leaf sheath: Mostly basal ; keeled ; overlapping. 
Stem: Flat at base ; pale purplish during early growth. 
Seedhead: Paired raceme; a distinctive ring of hair at base. 
GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS 
Growth starts in late spring. Shoots grow from axillary buds at 
basal nodes and from rhizomes. Reproduces primarily from rhi- 
zomes. Grows mostly in colonies of a few plants to an area several 
feet in diameter. Foliage turns a light straw color in fall and win- 
ter. Growing points are 3 to 4 inches above ground when seed- 
heads emerge. 
DISTRIBUTION 
North Dakota and eastern Montana, south to Texas and in a 
few locations in Utah, Arizona, and Iowa. 
SITE ADAPTATION 
Grows principally in Nebraska sandhills and in the deep, sandy 
soils of Texas and Oklahoma. 
USE AND MANAGEMENT 
Sand bluestem is grazed by cattle and horses any season of the 
year. Deer graze basal leaves early in spring. 
For plant vigor and high production, no more than 50 percent 
of current year’s growth by weight should be grazed off. Grazing 
should be deferred every 3 to 4 years for at least 120 days before 
seed ripen. 
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