About Andropogon virginicus L.
Andropogon virginicus L. is a slender bunchgrass with an upright, vase-shaped growth habit and very dense fibrous roots. Its leaves are medium green, erect, linear, and approximately 1/4 inch (0.64 cm) wide. The culms bear bristle-tipped spikelets that are most visible during summer and fall. This species is native to the lower forty-eight United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the Bahamas, Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panamá, Trinidad-Tobago, and Venezuela. It has been introduced to Hawaii, California, Japan, New Zealand, and other areas. In terms of fire ecology, Andropogon virginicus is highly adaptable and tolerant of fire. Its dry composition makes it significantly flammable, and it can quickly regenerate from its root system after fire. Seasonal timing affects the species' post-fire recovery rate and growth to maturity. Burning in November, after an October frost, reduced broomsedge stem density by more than 47%. Herbicides can be used to control broomsedge, but control effects are often short-lived due to recruitment from seed. Andropogon virginicus is commonly used for erosion control, rain gardens, and stormwater management. It is very drought tolerant, can survive in infertile soils, and adapts well to sites that have experienced heavy grading and construction. This bunchgrass provides nesting material and cover for quail, turkeys, and other birds. It is not considered an important cattle forage, but it does offer some grazing opportunities for livestock and wildlife in spring and early summer. When other food sources are limited in winter, small birds feed on its seeds. It acts as a larval host for the Zabulon skipper butterfly (Poanes zabulon). Andropogon virginicus can also be grown as an ornamental plant. Because it requires little water to survive, many golf courses use it for landscaping, where it also adds color to the landscape. In the southeastern United States, it has been used as the straw base for making handmade brooms.
