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]
Synonymy Chloris curtipendula Michx. Andropogon curtipendulus (Michx.) Spreng. ex Steud. Atheropogon curtipendulus (Michx.) E. Fourn. Cynodon curtipendulus (Michx.) Raspail Dinebra curtipendula (Michx.) P. Beauv. Eutriana curtipendula (Michx.) Trin. Atheropogon acuminatus E.Fourn. Atheropogon affinis (Hook.f.) E.Fourn. Atheropogon apludoides Willd. Atheropogon racemosus (Lag.) Roem. & Schult. Bouteloua acuminata (E.Fourn.) Griffiths Bouteloua melicoides P.Beauv. Bouteloua racemosa Lag. Chloris secunda (Pursh) Eaton Cynodon melicoides Raspail Cynosurus secundus Pursh Dineba melicoides P.Beauv. Dinebra melicoides P.Beauv. Dinebra secunda (Pursh) Roem. & Schult. Erucaria glabra Cerv. Eutriana affinis Hook.f. Eutriana gracilis Hook.f. 1847 not (Kunth) Trin. 1824 Eutriana racemosa (Lag.) Trin. ex E.Fourn. Heterostega curtipendula (Michx.) Schwein. ex Hook.f. Melica curtipendula (Michx.) Steud.

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

Data related to Bouteloua curtipendula at Wikispecies

• The Texas State Senate Citizen Handbook (2007)