Bouteloua curtipendula

Bouteloua curtipendula
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
(unranked): Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Bouteloua
Species: B. curtipendula
Binomial name
Bouteloua curtipendula
(Michx.) Torr.
Synonyms[1][2]

Bouteloua curtipendula, commonly known as sideoats grama,[3] is a perennial, short prairie grass that is native throughout the temperate and tropical Western Hemisphere, from Canada south to Argentina.

Description

Sideoats grama flower.

Bouteloua curtipendula foliage is blue-green in color and the flowers are purple. The small, oat-like seeds develop on the side of the stalk.

Sideoats grama is a warm-season grass, growing 30–100 cm (12-40 in) tall, and grows well on mountainous plateaus, rocky slopes, and sandy plains. The grass is also drought- and cold-tolerant and is hardy in zones 4-9.

It is currently listed as a threatened species in the U.S. state of Michigan.

Uses

It is considered a good foraging grass for livestock. B. curtipendula is cultivated as an ornamental plant for native plant and drought-tolerant gardens, and is also good for erosion control.

It provides larval food for the veined ctenucha (Ctenucha venosa).[4]

Sideoats grama is the state grass of Texas.

References

  1. Tropicos, Bouteloua curtipendula (Michx.) Torr.
  2. The Plant List, Bouteloua curtipendula (Michx.) Torr.
  3. "Bouteloua curtipendula". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  4. Soule, J.A. 2012. Butterfly Gardening in Southern Arizona. Tierra del Soule Press, Tucson, AZ

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bouteloua curtipendula.

Data related to Bouteloua curtipendula at Wikispecies

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, January 10, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.