Bouteloua curtipendula

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

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.

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).

Sideoats grama is the state grass of Texas.