Bushy Bluestem

Bushy bluestem is a native, warm-season grass with a tufted form and conspicuous, fluffy flower clusters. Its green leaves develop reddish tints and turn copper to orange as the season cools, while the pale, silvery-pink inflorescences mature into a winter seed display. ## Form and Season Plants are commonly described from about 2 to 6 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide, though regional floras report shorter stems in some habitats. Flowers open from late summer into autumn. The species is adapted to wet openings, seepage slopes, pond edges, bogs, and other damp sites; it can be useful where a conventional dry-ground ornamental grass would struggle. ## Site and Planting Choose full sun and moist to wet soil, allowing room for the clump and its seasonal seed heads. Bushy bluestem can reseed freely, so remove seed heads before dispersal where volunteers are unwanted. Its seeds feed birds and small mammals, and the foliage and flowers support butterfly larvae. Taxonomic sources vary: North Carolina Extension currently presents the plant as *Anatherum glomeratum*, while the state flora retains *Andropogon glomeratus* and discusses the newer name as a synonym. The catalog name is retained here. [NC State Extension](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/anatherum-glomeratum/common-name/bushy-beardgrass/) and the [Vascular Plants of North Carolina](https://auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/flora/species_account.php?nrid_sciName=Andropogon+glomeratus) provide regional descriptions; the [Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program](https://www.naturalheritage.state.pa.us/factsheet.aspx?=15495) confirms wet-site habitat and fall flowering. ## Maintenance Water during establishment and in extended dry weather; this species is not drought tolerant. If self-seeding is not wanted, trim the flower clusters before seed dispersal. Remove old stems in late winter or early spring as new growth appears.