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Plant profile · Austin & Hill Country

Cane Bluestem

Bothriochloa barbinodis
native · Hill Country

Cane Bluestem is a grass native to the Texas Hill Country that grows 2–4 ft tall and 2 ft wide. It wants full sun and medium water, and handles clay soil. Flowers are yellow. Good for birds.

Will it grow in your yard?

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The facts

6 sources
Type
Grass
Sun
Full sun (6–8 hrs of direct sun)
Water
Medium
Height
2–4 ft
Spread
2 ft
Bloom
Yellow
Foliage
Deciduous or dies back in winter
Soil
Takes clay · recorded on clay, dry, gravelly, loam, sand
Wildlife
Supports birds

Where it grows

Recorded in these EPA Level IV ecoregions in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Balcones CanyonlandsLlano UpliftEdwards Plateau WoodlandNorthern Blackland PrairieSouthern Post Oak SavannaFloodplains and Low TerracesLimestone Cut PlainSan Antonio Prairie

111 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Also grows here — hard to find. Native and recorded growing in Central Texas, but not on the grower stock lists we read. Sourcing varies: some are stocked widely, others you will have to hunt for.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.