NPSOT Logo

Splitbeard Bluestem

Andropogon ternarius

Other common name(s):

Split Bluestem

Family:

Poaceae (Grass Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Laguna Madre Barrier Island and Coastal Marshes, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Grass & Sedge

Height

1.5
to
4
ft.

Spread

0.5
to
1
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Well Drained

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Grassland, Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Brown

Bloom Season

Summer, Fall

Seasonal Interest

Seeds, Forage, Nesting Material

Wildlife Benefit

Birds, Small Mammals, Deer, Bees

Maintenance

Dormant in winter. Propagation: Root division, Seed.

Comments

Attractive warm season bunchgrass, a good addition to landscape or wildscape. Leaves/stem may be purplish-reddish green. Striking white seed tufts. In the wild if occurs on sandy soils of savannahs and borders of woodlands. Provides food and cover for birds, native bees and small mammals.

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ANTE2. 3) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Andropogon+ternarius&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=17696&locationType=County&mapType=Normal, 5) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 126, 127. 6) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=40455#null, 7) Hatch, Umphres, Ardoin, 2015, Field Guide to Common Texas Grasses, pg 52.

Download a 1 page PDF file for this plant, suitable for sharing, printing, and plant sales. Includes an ecoregion map, and a QR code back to this page.

Downloading PDFs only works on desktop browsers

You can favorite this plant and others and maintain a list of your favorite native plants below. You can also unfavorite a plant and clear your list. Click on a plant to go to it.

      No Favorites