`Prairie Chief' Big Bluestem

Abstract

While the use of prairie plants in midwestern landscapes is currently going through a resurgence (Smith and Smith, 1980; Wasowski, 2002), the concept is firmly rooted in the past. Wilhelm Miller (1915) wrote, “Every Illinois city should have in at least one park a ‘prairie border’–with the grasses, composites, and other flowers labeled.” Astute designers realized that native prairie species are often adapted to Midwestern soils, climate, and pests, which can reduce maintenance practices such as supplemental irrigation, fertilization, and pesticide use. The reduction in materials and labor resulting from landscaping with native plants over a 10-year period may be one-fifth the cost of conventional landscape plantings (Mariner et al., 1997). Horticultural selections of prairie forbs (e.g., Aster novae-angliae, Echinacea purpurea, Liatris spicata, and Rudbeckia hirta) are common. Conversely, other than switch grass (Panicum virgatum) and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), horticultural selections of native ornamental grasses are relatively uncommon; presently, most ornamental grasses planted in the Midwest are exotics, often from the genera Calamagrostis, Miscanthus, and Pennisetum. Native grasses in the genus Andropogon (the bluestems), particularly A. gerardii, deserve more landscape attention. Greenlee (1992) noted that named cultivars of Andropogon would soon be introduced into the U.S. landscape trade due to their heights and foliage colors. Andropogon gerardii Vitman, big bluestem or turkey-foot, has been shown to be particularly diverse morphologically, ecologically, cytologically, and genetically (Barnes 1985, 1986; Gustafson et al., 1999; Keeler and Davis, 1999; Keeler et al., 2002; Wipff, 1996), all indicative of high potential for horticultural selection. Andropogon is a large genus of ≈100 species, comprised of perennial grasses found in temperate and tropical climates (Mabberley, 1997; Watson and Dallwitz, 1994). Members of the genus are commonly referred to as bluestems or beardgrasses; the name bluestem describes the bluish bloom on stems of some species within the genus (Mosher, 1918). The term beardgrass is a literal interpretation of the genus name Andropogon, which was derived from the Greek andro (man) and pogon (beard). This name is in reference to the hairy rachis and pedicels of sterile spikelets (Fernald, 1950). The specific epithet, gerardii, honors the French botanist, Louis Gerard, who informally described the species from plants cultivated in Provence (Fernald, 1950). Members of the genus Andropogon are quite common in much of the U.S.; there are 15 species in the continental U.S. (Kartesz and Meacham, 1999). Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), a primary component of the tallgrass prairie, is typically found in mesic areas, but can also occur in xeric or wet prairies (Ladd, 1995; Stubbendieck et al., 1997). Big bluestem is found from Quebec and Maine to Saskatchewan and Montana, south to Florida, Wyoming, Utah, and Arizona and also in Mexico and Honduras (Fernald, 1950; Hitchcock 1950; Kartesz and Meacham, 1999). Big bluestem is highly regarded as a livestock forage crop (Stubbendieck, 1997). Selections have been made for forage production as well as range and pasture plantings. For example, A. gerardii ‘Niagara’ is used for warm season forage production, re-vegetating droughty sites, and wildlife habitat improvement (Alderson and Sharp, 1995). Unique characteristics of ‘Niagara’ include a wide flag leaf, rapid regrowth in late summer and early fall, and some resistance to leaf spot (Alderson and Sharp, 1995). Other varieties such as ‘Kaw’ and ‘Pawnee’ (Reg. No. 1) are also used for range and pasture plantings. ‘Kaw’ displays uniform distribution of leaves, some resistance to rust, relatively high seed yields. ‘Pawnee’ produces good forage yields in Nebraska; seed quality and seed yields in cultivated rows and under irrigation are superior to common strains (Alderson and Sharp, 1995). In landscapes, Andropogon gerardii has traditionally been relegated to naturalized plantings such as prairie restoration, but can also be used as a background plant or screen (Greenlee, 1992). Its height (typically 1.5 to 2.4 m), upright growth habit, and orange to copper-red fall color identify it as a potential landscape plant (Darke, 1999). Cultivars of big bluestem have rarely been selected for ornamental planting. Exceptions are ‘Sentinel’ and ‘Champ’. ‘Sentinel’ (Limerock Ornamental Grasses, Inc., Port Matilida, Pa.) is similar in height, floral morphology, and cultural and propagation requirements to the species. Its narrow, columnar growth habit and burgundy tinted with yellow and orange suffused with blue fall color distinguish it from other big bluestems (Norm Hooven, Limerock Ornamental Grasses, Inc., personal communication). ‘Champ’ was originally selected as a forage type (Alderson, and Sharp, 1995; Newell, 1968), but Greenlee (1992) includes it with ornamental grasses due to its fall color and tolerance to sandy growing sites. Herein, another A. gerardii cultivar, ‘Prairie Chief’, is being introduced for landscape planting. It displays an upright habit that is slightly more open than ‘Sentinel’, and red, purple, and orange fall color. Furthermore, based on its habit and height, ‘Prairie Chief’ provides a native replacement for several exotic grasses