Bouteloua spp.
gramas
The Americas, chiefly western North America and Mexico
Overview
Bouteloua spp. is a genus of about 25 species of warm-season grasses in the family Poaceae, native to the Americas, with the greatest diversity in the grasslands of Mexico and the western United States. Plants form low tufts or spreading mats 6 in to 2.5 ft (15-75 cm) tall, with narrow, often gray-green or blue-green blades. The flower spikes are held out at right angles to the stem like small flags or eyebrows, with the spikelets combed onto one side. B. gracilis, blue grama, and B. dactyloides, buffalograss, are key prairie and lawn grasses, tolerant of heat, drought, and grazing. Plants green up in late spring, flower in summer, and cure to tan by autumn. The deep, fibrous roots make them strongly drought-tolerant and useful for erosion control. Most species need full sun and well-drained soil and decline in shade or constant moisture. Gramas are major forage grasses of the shortgrass prairie.
Native Range
Bouteloua spp. is native to the Americas, from Canada through the United States and Mexico to South America, centered on the grasslands of Mexico and the western United States. Plants grow in shortgrass and mixed-grass prairie, desert grassland, and open rocky slopes. Blue grama and buffalograss dominate large areas of the Great Plains.Suggested Uses
Grown as low-water lawns, meadow and prairie plantings, and erosion control on slopes and rangeland. Blue grama is used as an ornamental for its flag-like seed heads in dry borders and gravel gardens. The grasses supply forage for livestock and seed for birds.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height6" - 2'6"
Width/Spread1' - 2'
Bloom Information
Flowering occurs in summer, generally June to September, after the plants green up in late spring. The wind-pollinated, one-sided spikes ripen seed by late summer and persist into autumn. Bloom follows summer rains in dry regions.
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
purple to tanFoliage Description
gray-green to blue-greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Plants grow in full sun and well-drained soil with a pH near 6.0 to 8.0, tolerating poor, sandy, rocky, and alkaline ground. They are deeply drought-tolerant once established and decline in shade, rich soil, or constant moisture. Seed is sown in late spring into warm soil, and stands fill in over a season or two. Established plantings need little water or feeding. Blue grama and buffalograss are mown high as low-water lawns or left unmown as meadow.Pruning
Lawn plantings are mown high, around 2-3 in (5-8 cm), or left unmown for a meadow look. Old foliage is cut or burned off in early spring before new growth begins. Ornamental plantings are cut back once a year to clear the previous season growth.Container Growing
✓ Suitable for container growing
Minimum container size: 1 gallons