| Wire bluestem
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| Schizachyrium gracile
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| Poaceae
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Landscape Uses:
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Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. |
Ecological Restoration Notes: |
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It can be used as one of many understory herbs in pine rocklands. |
| Availability: |
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Grown by enthusiasts. |
| Description: |
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Small, fine-textured herbaceous grass. |
| Height: |
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About 12-24 inches in height. Taller than broad. |
| Growth Rate: |
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Fast. |
| Range: |
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Monroe County Keys north to Miami-Dade and Collier counties; West Indies. Naturalizing on limerock fill to the north of its native range. |
| Habitats: |
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Pine rocklands. |
| Soils: |
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Moist, well-drained limestone soils, without humus. |
| Nutritional Requirements: |
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Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils. |
| Salt Water Tolerance: |
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Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water. |
| Salt Wind Tolerance: |
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Low; salt wind may burn the leaves. |
| Drought Tolerance: |
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High; does not require any supplemental water once established. |
| Light Requirements: |
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Full sun. |
| Flower Color: |
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Brown inflorescence. |
| Flower Characteristics: |
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Semi-showy inflorescence. |
| Flowering Season: |
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Summer-fall. |
| Fruit: |
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Inconspicuous caryopsis. |
| Wildlife and Ecology: |
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| Horticultural Notes: |
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Can be grown from seed and division. |
| Comments: |
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