Andropogon saccharoides Sw. var. longipaniculatus Gould

Scientific Name: Andropogon saccharoides Sw. var. longipaniculatus Gould


Classification: Plantae/ Tracheobionta / Spermatophyta / Magnoliophyta / Liliopsida / Commelinidae / Cyperales / Poaceae / Gramineae / Bothriochloa Kuntze/ Andropogon saccharoides Sw. var. longipaniculatus Gould

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General Information
Usda SymbolANSAL
GroupMonocot
Life CyclePerennial
Growth HabitsGraminoid
Native LocationsANSAL

Plant Guide

Description

General: Longspike beardgrass [Bothriochloa longipaniculata (Gould) Allred & Gould] is a native, perennial bunch grass with glabrous culms, branched near the base, ranging from 70-115 cm tall, It has a ligule that is 1,8-2,4 mm long, glabrous and truncate at the tip, Leaf blades are 15-25 cm long, 4-6 mm wide and glabrous, The inflorescence is a contracted panicle 10 to 17 centimeters long and roughly 1,5-2,2 cm broad, Panicle branches are appressed or ascending, one per node, with densely villous, white hairs obscuring spikelets, The pedicels have silky-white villous hairs up to 1 cm long, Pedicellate spikelets are sterile and reduced to a linear membrane, Fertile sessile spikelets are 4,3-4,4 mm long and 1,0-1,3 mm wide, Glumes are as long as the spikelet but unequal in length, Lemmas have one awn, 1,0-1,8 cm long, bent near the base, Caryopsis is yellow and 1,6-2,0 mm long, Chromosome number is 2n=120 (Gould 1975), The plants produce seed mostly from May through November, Longspike beardgrass has an average of 527,000 seeds per pound, Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Andropogon saccharoides Sw. var. longipaniculatus Gould., Distribution: Longspike beardgrass is found from southeastern and southern Texas into Northern Mexico, Plants in Guatemala, Salvador and Panama are not entirely typical but may also referred to this taxon (Gould 1975), For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site,

Adaptation

Longspike beardgrass is common along roadsides and field borders within its natural range. It is a shade tolerant grass frequent on fine-textured upland clay soils.

Uses

Longspike beardgrass is recommended for upland wildlife plantings, highway rights-of -way revegetation, energy exploration reclamation and for inclusion in range seeding mixes. It is a fair to good livestock forage and competes well with exotic grasses such as buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare). Meyer and Brown (1985) reported in-vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) at 45% and crude protein (CP) at 8% for silver bluestem (Bothriochloa sacchariodes) a closely related species. Willard and Schuster (1973) found that crude fiber was generally high (between 32% and 38%) in silver bluestem. Longspike beardgrass provides nesting cover for birds, foraging habitat for raptors and fawning cover for deer (Hatch et al 1999).

Status

Threatened or Endangered: No. Wetland Indicator: Longspike beardgrass is an upland species. Longspike beardgrass, Shelly Maher, STPMC Weedy or Invasive: Longspike beardgrass is not known to be an invasive species. Please consult with your local NRCS Field Office, Cooperative Extension Service office, state natural resource, or state agriculture department regarding its status and use. Please consult the PLANTS Web site (http://plants.usda.gov/) and your state’s Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g., threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

Planting Guidelines

Seedbed preparation should begin well in advance of planting. Planting can be done in late fall or spring in South Texas. Longspike beardgrass can be included in warm-season planting mixtures. Establish a clean, weed-free seedbed by either tillage or herbicides. Prior to planting, the site should be firm and have accumulated soil moisture. Longspike beardgrass is best seeded using a native grass drill with picker wheels or in a fluffy seed box. Broadcast seeding may be used in areas not easily planted with a drill, but some type of additional coverage such as culti-packing or light dragging will be beneficial to ensure good seed-to-soil contact. Seed should be planted ⅛ to ¼ inch deep. It is better to plant too shallow than too deep. For calibration purposes, longspike beardgrass contains approximately 527,000 seeds per bulk pound. A seeding rate of 2 pounds pure live seed (PLS) per acre is recommended. In seed mixes, reduce the rate according to the percent of longspike beardgrass desired on the planting site.

Management

Areas planted to longspike beardgrass should be deferred form grazing until plants become established and are allowed to set seed. Established plants should be allowed to produce seed annually to ensure stand longevity.

Pests and Potential Problems

There are no known potential pests or problems with this species.

Environmental Concerns

Concerns

Concerns

There are no known environmental concerns associated with this species.

Seeds and Plant Production

Plant Production

Plant Production

Longspike beardgrass is best started using greenhouse grown transplants, planted on bedded rows. Seedlings grow and mature quickly and will produce a marketable crop in the first year of planting. A Woodward Flail-Vac Seed Stripper (Ag-renewal, Inc., Weatherford, Oklahoma) can collect the ripe seed crop without damaging or eliminating the ability to make subsequent harvests of the stand as later flowering florets mature. For optimum harvesting efficiency, operate Flail-Vac harvester with the tractor at 1500 rpm and the ground speed range from 2.5 – 4 mph. This setting results in relatively clean seed, needing little cleaning or processing. Handpicking the stems and chaff from the harvest further cleans the seed or run the seed through a Westrup brush machine (Westrup, Slagelse Denmark) and then through a Clipper seed cleaner (A.T. Farrell, Bluffton, Indiana). Longspike beardgrass can be harvested two times per year. There is a spring harvest which is generally considered the months of April - June, and a fall harvest which is generally late September - October. Occasionally, a summer harvest in August can be done but it is almost always poor yielding with low germination. The trend in seed production is for both better seed yields and germination during the cooler temperatures of spring provided there is good soil moisture. However, it is not consistent by month ranging anytime from April through June, nor is it consistent by year. Fall (September - October) can occasionally produce good seed yields and good germination, but there is even more variability in the fall harvests than the spring harvests. Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) Starr Germplasm longspike silver bluestem (longspike beardgrass) was cooperatively released by the E. “Kika” de la Garza Plant Material Center and South Texas Natives in 2019. It was selected for its vigor and forage production throughout the intended area of use. Starr Germplasm is recommended for use in Rio Grande Plain (MLRA 83A, B, C and D), Coastal Sand Plain (MLRA 83 E) and Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes ecoregions of Texas (MLRA 150A and B) for upland wildlife plantings, highway rights-of-way revegetation, energy exploration reclamation and for inclusion in range seeding mixes. This release is a selected plant material class of certified seed. No breeding, selection or genetic manipulation was used in the development of this release. Cultivars should be selected based on the local climate, resistance to local pests, and intended use. Consult with your local land grant university, local extension or local USDA NRCS office for recommendations on adapted cultivars for use in your area.

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Literature Cited

Gould, F.W. 1975. The Grasses of Texas. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, TX. Hatch, S. L., J.L. Schuster and D. L. Drawe. 1999. Grasses of the Texas Gulf Prairies and Marshes. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, TX. Meyer, M.W., and R.D. Brown. 1985. Seasonal trends in the chemical composition of ten range plants in south Texas. J. Range Manage. 38:154-157. Willard, E.E. and J.L. Schuster. 1973. Chemical composition of six southern Great Plains grasses as related to season and precipitation. J. Range Manage. 26:37-38. Citation Maher S., and J. Reilley. 2019. Plant guide for longspike beardgrass (Bothriochloa longipaniculata). USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, E. “Kika” de la Garza Plant Materials Center, Kingsville, TX 78363. Published September 2019 For more information about this and other plants, please contact your local NRCS field office or Conservation District at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/ and visit the PLANTS Web site at http://plants.usda.gov/ or the Plant Materials Program web site: http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov. PLANTS is not responsible for the content or availability of other Web sites. In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.