BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Bothriochloa barbinodis | Cane Bluestem 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Cane bluestem is an extremely drought-resistant, native, warm-season,
robust perennial bunchgrass, of medium height, with straw-colored pithy
stems [16,19,25].  Culms are erect to spreading, 2 to 5 feet (0.6-1.5 m)
tall and densly tufted [27].  Leaves are blue-green and cure to a dull
red or yellow; they occur basally and on the flower stalks [7,25].  The
inflorescence consists of a panicle, 2 to 5 inches (4.5-13 cm) long,
with the appearance of a fan-shaped silvery-hairy cluster [25,27].
Pairs of spikelets occur at each joint.  One is sessile and seed
producing, with a bent awn about 0.75 inch (1.9 cm) long; the other is
infertile with a 0.1- to 0.15-inch-long (3-4 mm) pedicel [7].

The presence (var. perforata) or absence (var. barbinodis) of a
glandular pit on the first outer glume of the sessile spikelet is a
consistent botanical characteristic used to distinguish the two
varieties [14].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Hemicryptophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Cane bluestem produces an abundance of seed that is dispersed by wind
[28].  The seeds apparently germinate readily, and the seedling are
hardy [28].  Locally, during drought conditions, cane bluestem may be
one of the only grasses producing seed.


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Cane bluestem occurs primarily in dry, sandy, gravelly or rocky sites
[17,27].  It is best adapted to sandy-loam to calcerious-loam soils,
with a pH range of 7.2 to 8.0 [8].  It is most common in semidesert
grasslands, oak woodlands, and chaparral [19].  In open rangelands, it
occurs primarily in areas of high water concentration or in areas that
are occasionally flooded, which allows it to grow where annual
precipitation is only 5 to 7 inches [16,19,25].  Cane bluestem usually
occurs scattered; it seldom forms dense or pure stands [19,25].

Elevational ranges for cane bluestem in several western states are
presented below [8,11,16,27]:

 from 1,000 to 5,800 feet (305-1,768 m) in AZ
      5,000 to 5,600 feet (1,524-1,707 m) in CO
      3,000 to 7,000 feet (914-2,134 m) in NM
      3,020 to 6,000 feet (920-1,830 m) in UT
 


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Growth of cane bluestem seems to be dependent upon available moisture.
Most growth occurs between mid-June and late August when moisture is
adequate.  In Texas, irrigated plants produced 25 percent of seasonal
growth by mid-June, 62 percent between mid-June and mid-July, and 13
percent after mid-July.  Plants grown under natural rainfall, with water
available later in the season, grew more later in the season.  These
plants produced 20 percent, 30 percent, and 50 percent of their seasonal
growth during the same time periods [20].  Plants usually flower between
May and October in Texas, but flowering will occur throughout the year
under favorable growing conditions [14].

Related categories for Species: Bothriochloa barbinodis | Cane Bluestem