Names
Scientific Name: Bothriochloa barbinodis
Synonym: Andropogon barbinodis
Common Names: Cane bluestem, cane beardgrass, popotilloa algodonero, cola de coyote
Characteristics
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Grass
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Desert grasslands and savannahs, prefers open areas and sun
Flower Color: N/A
Flowering Season: Spring through fall
Height: 3 to 6 feet
Description: This large grass produces dense, fan-shaped tufts. The entire inflorescence is 1 to 6 inches long. Cane bluestem is a warm-season grass that begins growing when daytime temperatures reach 65 to 70˙F.
Special Characteristics
A favorite food of deer, cane bluestem requires as little as 5 inches of water annually as long as it receives the flooding of occasional summer rains. –
Classification
Order: Cyperales
Family: Poaceae
SOURCES:
ASDM Sonoran Desert Digital Library for kids, 2011.
Gucker, Corey L. 2011. Bothriochloa barbinodis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ [2013, October 8].
Kearney, T. H. and R. H. Peebles. 1960. Arizona Flora. Los Angeles: University of California Press.
