Sideoats Grama

Bouteloua curtipendula

Summary 4

Bouteloua curtipendula, commonly known as sideoats grama, is a perennial, short prairie grass that is native throughout the temperate and tropical Western Hemisphere, from Canada south to Argentina.

Description 5

Medium height plant to 80 cm tall. Leaves are 30 cm long and from 2.5 to 7 mm across. Flowers and seeds are borne along one side of the inflorescence, a distinct character in this group. Old flowerstalks often show the points of attachment along one side of the stem. Flowers often have some red-purple coloration. More common on north-facing slopes and boulder piles in the preserve.

SEINet description

Distribution and habitat 6

Sideoats grama grows well on mountainous plateaus, rocky slopes, and sandy plains. It is drought- and cold-tolerant and is hardy in USDA hardiness zones 4–9 (average annual minimums of −30 to 25 °F, −34 to −4 °C).

Uses 6

Sideoats grama is considered a good foraging grass for livestock. It is planted for erosion control.

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) eknuth, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by eknuth
  2. (c) enuisam, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by enuisam
  3. (c) Lee Elliott, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Lee Elliott
  4. Adapted by Desmon M Dunn from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_curtipendula
  5. (c) Steve Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/402154
  6. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_curtipendula

More Info

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