bluestem
noun
blue·stem
| \ ˈblü-ˌstem
\
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Definition of bluestem
1
: a tall North American grass (Andropogon gerardii synonym A. furcatus) that has smooth bluish leaf sheaths and slender spikes borne in pairs or clusters, is a dominant grass of the originally tallgrass prairies, and is used for hay and forage
— called also big bluestem
— compare sand bluestem
2
: little bluestem
Examples of bluestem in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ron Klataske, who leads environmental nonprofit Audubon of Kansas, supports the proposal, saying bluestems destroy all native plants. — USA TODAY, "Women in baseball, Lynyrd Skynyrd, circus fire: News from around our 50 states," 1 July 2019 The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the Kansas Department of Agriculture recently sought public input on a plan to quarantine invasive yellow and Caucasian bluestem grasses. — USA TODAY, "Women in baseball, Lynyrd Skynyrd, circus fire: News from around our 50 states," 1 July 2019 Planting a variety of clump forming grasses, like native switchgrass or bluestem will also provide daytime hiding areas for vulnerable (and mostly nocturnal) toads. — Molly Marquand, Good Housekeeping, "5 Ways To Attract Toads To Your Garden (And Why You’d Totally Want To)," 16 May 2017 Come August, the big bluestem tallgrass will be chest-high. — Rick Montgomery, kansascity.com, "Jerry Smith Farm Park: Native plants fill a patch of prairie that’s never seen a plow," 12 May 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bluestem.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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