Bothriochloa ischaemum (L.) Keng var. songarica (Rupr. ex Fisch. & C.A. Mey.) Celarier & J.R. Harlan

Turkestan Beardgrass; King Ranch Bluestem

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

King Ranch Bluestem is an introduced perennial in the Grass family (Poaceae). It is native to southern Europe and Asia. King Ranch Bluestem was intentionally introduced for erosion control on roadsides and as forage for livestock. It can be found throughout the southern half of Alabama, and in scattered locations in north Alabama. King Ranch Bluestem occurs on roadsides, in pastures, in prairies, and in disturbed urban areas. It is a cespitose perennial from a rhizome or short stolons. The culms are erect to sprawling, often decumbent at their bases and rooting. Culms are 1-3 feet in height, yellowish-green in color, and glabrous except for the pubescent nodes. The leaves are mostly basal, linear, and glabrous except for a few scattered white hairs near the base of the blade. The upper blades on the culms are much reduced. Flowers are produced in spikelets arranged in erect terminal purplish panicles with 3-12 ascending branches. The pedicellate spikelets are sterile or staminate and about as long as the sessile spikelets. The lower glumes of the sessile spikelets lack pits. King Ranch Bluestem is considered an invasive species in many states. It is a fast growing C4 plant that forms monocultures, excluding native vegetation and reducing biodiversity.—A. Diamond.

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Not Native

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