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Useful Temperate Plants

Andropogon virginicus

L.

Poaceae

+ Synonyms

Anatherum virginicum Spreng.

Andropogon capillipes Nash

Andropogon curtisianus Steud.

Andropogon dealbatus (C.Mohr ex Hack.) Weakley & LeBlond

Andropogon dissitiflorus Michx.

Andropogon eriophorus Scheele

Andropogon glaucescens Schltdl. ex Hack.

Andropogon glaucus Muhl.

Andropogon louisianae Steud.

Andropogon macrourus viridis Vasey

Andropogon pauciflorus Salzm. ex Steud.

Andropogon tetrastachyus Elliott

Andropogon vaginatus Elliott

Cinna lateralis Walter

Cymbopogon glaucus Schult.

Dimeiostemon tetrastachys Raf.

Dimeiostemon vaginatus Raf.

Holcus virginicus Steud.

Sorghum virginicum (L.) Kuntze

Common Name: Broomsedge Bluestem

Andropogon virginicus
Growing plant, prior to flowering
Photograph by: Harry Rose
Creative Commons License
Andropogon virginicus Andropogon virginicus Andropogon virginicus Andropogon virginicus Andropogon virginicus

General Information

Andropogon virginicus is a hebaceous, perennial grass forming a tight clump of culms 50 - 120cm tall from a rhizomatous rootstock[
1050
Title
Fire Effects Information System
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.feis-crs.org/feis/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line information site with comprehensive information on over 1,100 species of plant. Mainly developed to supply information on the effects of fire on plants and animals, it also contains a wealth of other information on the plants
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and dye. It can be used to reclaim mine-spoil sites.
The plant has become an invasive weed in many regions, including Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii[
305
Title
Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.
,
413
Title
Global Invasive Species Database
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.issg.org/database/welcome/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Very detailed information on almost 400 species (with more being added) of plants that have become weeds in areas outside their native range.
]. It was inadvertantly introduced to the Hawain Islands in 1932 and has spread widely there. It is considered to be one of the most threatening of exotic species, invading native habitats and altering the fire and hydrology regimes[
274
Title
Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas
Publication
 
Author
Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J
Website
http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm
Publisher
Botanical Research Institute, Texas.
Year
1999
ISBN
1-889878-01-4
Description
An excellent flora, which is also available on-line.
]. It invades forest and other native vegetation, along tracks - nearly pure stands can persist as a result of competition and allelopathy[
413
Title
Global Invasive Species Database
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.issg.org/database/welcome/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Very detailed information on almost 400 species (with more being added) of plants that have become weeds in areas outside their native range.
]. It is spread by seeds that are transported by wind and also by catching in clothing or in the fur of animals[
413
Title
Global Invasive Species Database
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.issg.org/database/welcome/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Very detailed information on almost 400 species (with more being added) of plants that have become weeds in areas outside their native range.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
,
236
Title
Manual of the Grasses of the United States
Publication
 
Author
Hitchcock. A. S.
Publisher
Dover Publications. New York.
Year
1971
ISBN
0-486-22717-0
Description
A nice and comprehensive flora, though a bit dated. Good line drawings of each plant, plus a brief idea of the habitat and a few notes on plant uses. Not for the casual reader.

Range

N. America - Iowa to Massachusetts, south to Mexico, Texas and Florida; C. America - south to Paama; Caribbeam; S. America - Venezuela

Habitat

Open ground, old fields, open woods, sterile hills and sandy soils[
236
Title
Manual of the Grasses of the United States
Publication
 
Author
Hitchcock. A. S.
Publisher
Dover Publications. New York.
Year
1971
ISBN
0-486-22717-0
Description
A nice and comprehensive flora, though a bit dated. Good line drawings of each plant, plus a brief idea of the habitat and a few notes on plant uses. Not for the casual reader.
].

Properties

Medicinal Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitPerennial
Height0.80 m
PollinatorsWind
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details


Requires a light porous sandy soil in full sun[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Plants are often found in very acid soils in the wild[
236
Title
Manual of the Grasses of the United States
Publication
 
Author
Hitchcock. A. S.
Publisher
Dover Publications. New York.
Year
1971
ISBN
0-486-22717-0
Description
A nice and comprehensive flora, though a bit dated. Good line drawings of each plant, plus a brief idea of the habitat and a few notes on plant uses. Not for the casual reader.
]. They grow well on low-fertility soils, especially those on eroded, 'worn-out' fields[
1050
Title
Fire Effects Information System
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.feis-crs.org/feis/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line information site with comprehensive information on over 1,100 species of plant. Mainly developed to supply information on the effects of fire on plants and animals, it also contains a wealth of other information on the plants
].
The plant usually starts flowering in its second or third year of growth from seed[
1050
Title
Fire Effects Information System
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.feis-crs.org/feis/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line information site with comprehensive information on over 1,100 species of plant. Mainly developed to supply information on the effects of fire on plants and animals, it also contains a wealth of other information on the plants
].
At the end of the growing season, nearly all green material on the plant dies, leaving a large accumulation of standing dead material which is easily set on fire[
1050
Title
Fire Effects Information System
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.feis-crs.org/feis/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line information site with comprehensive information on over 1,100 species of plant. Mainly developed to supply information on the effects of fire on plants and animals, it also contains a wealth of other information on the plants
].
The plant sometimes forms continuous cover in boggy, open mesic or dry habitats. It releases highly persistent allelopathic substances which inhibit competition. The dead material provides an excellent fuel for fires, whilst the plant itself is stimulated by the fire, it thus increases its coverage of the area dramatically with each fire. In areas where it occurs, both fire intensities and acreage burnt have increased[
413
Title
Global Invasive Species Database
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.issg.org/database/welcome/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Very detailed information on almost 400 species (with more being added) of plants that have become weeds in areas outside their native range.
].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

A decoction of the roots is used in the treatment of backaches[
222
Title
A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America.
Publication
 
Author
Foster. S. & Duke. J. A.
Publisher
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Year
1990
ISBN
0395467225
Description
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
].

A tea made from the leaves is used in the treatment of diarrhoea[
222
Title
A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America.
Publication
 
Author
Foster. S. & Duke. J. A.
Publisher
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Year
1990
ISBN
0395467225
Description
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
].
Applied externally, it is used as a wash for frostbite, sores, itching, piles and poison ivy rash[
222
Title
A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America.
Publication
 
Author
Foster. S. & Duke. J. A.
Publisher
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Year
1990
ISBN
0395467225
Description
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
,
257
Title
Native American Ethnobotany
Publication
 
Author
Moerman. D.
Publisher
Timber Press. Oregon.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-88192-453-9
Description
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is a common invader of abandoned coal strip mines and quarries, and frequently becomes the dominant ground cover[
1052
Title
Homeopathic Materia Medica
Publication
 
Author
William Boericke, M.D.
Website
http://www.homeoint.org/books/boericmm/index.htm
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line version of the book
]. It can be used in soil restoration projects, though should only be used within its native range because of its propensity to become an invasive weed[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
Plants are often seen as an indicator of poor soils[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].

Other Uses

A yellow dye is obtained from the stems[
257
Title
Native American Ethnobotany
Publication
 
Author
Moerman. D.
Publisher
Timber Press. Oregon.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-88192-453-9
Description
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
]. Onion skins are sometimes added when making the dye[
257
Title
Native American Ethnobotany
Publication
 
Author
Moerman. D.
Publisher
Timber Press. Oregon.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-88192-453-9
Description
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in early spring in a greenhouse. A period of cold stratification improves germination times and rates[
1050
Title
Fire Effects Information System
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.feis-crs.org/feis/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line information site with comprehensive information on over 1,100 species of plant. Mainly developed to supply information on the effects of fire on plants and animals, it also contains a wealth of other information on the plants
]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on for the first winter in a cold greenhouse. Plant out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring.
Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2024-12-13. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Andropogon+virginicus>

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