Side-oats grama, mesquite grass and gramagrass. Bouteloua: named after Claudio Bouteloua (1774-1842), a Spanish horticulturist curtipendula: Latin for "short-hanging".
Description:
Bouteloua curtipendula is a perennial rhizomatous grass that can grow 10 to 100 cm in height. Grows solitary or in small groups erect and sometimes leaning. The leaves are glabrous sheaths that are often hairy at the upper most portions. The branches are 0.8 to 1.3 cm long and have 3 to 9 spikelets per branch. Spikelets are 7 to 9.5 mm long with one perfect and one or two sterile florets. Blooms from June to November and the anthers dangle from the spikelets. Seeds ripen in the fall and individual branches fall off dispersing the seeds. It is frequently planted as an ornamental or as part of native lawn mixtures. This species is also highly palatable to all classes of livestock and provides good forage for many wild animals as well.
Climate:
Bouteloua curtipendula grows in igneous limestone-based sandy loam to medium loam clay soil. They grow quickly in disturbed soils and do well in medium textured well-drained soils. Population increase upon disturbance and grazing. And are often found in grasslands and prairies.
Geographic distribution:
The native range of Bouteloua curtipendula extends from southern Canada through Mexico and Central America into Western South America.
Links:
Spikelet link
Field in bloom link
Dangling bloom link
Botanist description link