''Schizachyrium maritimum'' is a species of

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...

known by the common name Gulf bluestem. It is native to the

Gulf Coast of the United States The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Missi ...

, where its distribution extends from

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

to the

Florida Panhandle The Florida Panhandle (also West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida; it is a salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia on the north, and the ...

.''Schizachyrium maritimum''.
Grass Manual Treatment. This species produces single stems that lie decumbent, often rooting at nodes that come in contact with the sandy substrate, making them look like

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow ...

s. The stems are waxy and reddish in color.''Schizachyrium maritimum''.
USDA NRCS Plant Fact Sheet. The leaf blades are 11 centimeters to well over one meter long. This plant grows at the coastal waterline. It is sometimes submerged in water. It binds the soil. It is considered "the most important species of

bluestem grass Bluestem can refer to various grasses: * Little bluestem (''Schizachyrium scoparium'') * Big bluestem (''Andropogon gerardii'') and other species of the genus '' Andropogon'' * Species in the genus ''Dichanthium'' * Cane bluestem and Caucasian b ...

on the Gulf of Mexico."Thetford, M. and D. Miller
Propagation and Production of Gulf Bluestem.
University of Florida IFAS. It is commonly used in coastal revegetation projects on the Gulf. It provides habitat for several types of animals.

References

External links

NatureServe
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7431552 maritimum Taxa named by Alvan Wentworth Chapman