Gulf Bluestem
Scientific Name: Schizachyrium maritimum (Chapm.) Nash
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Usda Symbol | SCMA3 |
| Group | Monocot |
| Life Cycle | Perennial |
| Growth Habits | Graminoid |
| Native Locations | SCMA3 |
Plant Guide
Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Gulf Bluestem.
Fact Sheet
Alternate Names
Seacoast bluestem; Andropogon maritimus
Uses
Conservation plant material for coastal beach dune enhancement and stabilization. Habitat for small mammals, shorebirds, and migratory birds.
Status
This species is ranked on the Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species state heritage conservation status lists in Alabama and Louisiana as an S1 (extensive rarity and factors which make it especially vulnerable to extirpation), and a global ranking by NatureServe.org of G3 (very rare and local throughout its range). Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).
Description
Gulf bluestem is a native, warm-season, perennial grass that spreads by seed and short rhizomes. Plants are rhizomatous and colonial, stems usually decumbent, glaucous, reddish, and flattened at the base, terminal inflorescences with stalked spikelets. Found native to coastal and offshore islands of the Florida panhandle west to Louisiana.
Adaptation
Establishment
Gulf bluestem can be successfully established using container grown or bareroot plant materials, Vegetative propagules from plant division or lower stem nodal tissue are used for nursery production, Container grown or bareroot propagules should be planted on 2-5 foot centers on the primary dune ridge and back side and the more stable dune and swale areas behind the primary dune, Interspacing with other desirable dune species enhances habitat diversity and conservation effectiveness, Apply a blended fertilizer broadcast or slow release tablet or packet with each plant when planting, Gulf bluestem produces viable seed, The potential establishment of gulf bluestem by seed is being evaluated at the Golden Meadow Plant Materials Center in Galliano, Louisiana, , Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Gulf Bluestem.
Management
No special management strategy is needed other than restricting traffic during the first year of establishment.