Cane Bluestem
Bothriochloa barbinodis

Family: Poaceae

Robust, tufted, perennial bunch grass growing to about 4’ tall. Flowers August through September and is immediately obvious with the tuft of hairy spikelets of the inflorescence which emerge from leaf sheaths. The fresh seeds smell like blueberries when crushed or rubbed to release the scent.

Full sun. Grows well outside of irrigation but plants have longer growing season and look better irrigated. Reseed readily.

Birds often use the fluff in nest building. In its native range, this grass is used as a forage for grazing animals and a ground cover for revegetating cleared land. It is very drought resistant. It is considered an indicator of rangeland damage, as it is often one of the first native species to be eliminated when an area is overgrazed. Deer, pronghorn, and cattle graze cane bluestem. In excellent-condition rangelands southeast of Sonora, Texas, white-tailed deer spent most (18%) of their feeding time in July equally divided between cane bluestem and the invasive Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense).

Botriochloa is from the Greek bothros, a pit or hole, and chloe or chloa, grass. The specific epithet combines the Latin words 'barba' meaning "beard" and 'nodus' meaning "joint" for the hairy nodes of this plant. It has previously been treated as Andropogon barbinodis. There are 37 species of Bothriochloa native to many countries on all inhabited continents and many islands.

Found in open range lands, on dry, rocky or sandy slopes and plains, and graded roadsides from 1,000-6,000 ft. native to the Americas, including most of South and Central America, Mexico, and the southernmost continental United States from California to Florida.

Photo by Sue Carnahan, SEINET
Aristida schiedeana on iNaturalist