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Bouteloua curtipendula

(Side-Oats Grama)

Overview

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Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in English:

Side-Oats Grama, Sideoats Grama, Tall Grama Grass

Common Names in Portuguese:

Grama-Azul

Common Names in Spanish:

Navajita Banderilla

Description

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Genus Bouteloua

Annuals or perennials . Culms mostly tufted . Leaf blades narrow; ligule a line of hairs . Inflorescence of racemes inserted singly along an axis; racemes unilateral , 1-80, short, deciduous or persistent ; spikelets sessile, few to numerous , biseriate , sometimes pectinate ; rachis narrow, flat, ending in a straight or forked point . Spikelets subterete or laterally compressed , fertile floret 1, usually 2nd sterile floret present, rarely this reduced to a rachilla extension ; glumes unequal, narrow, membranous, 1-veined, keeled , acuminate to awn-pointed; lemma of fertile floret ± as long as upper glume, rounded or keeled on back, thinly leathery, 3-veined, veins excurrent into 3 short awns , central awn sometimes flanked by 2 teeth, less often apex simply acute; palea veins sometimes excurrent; sterile floret variable within a species or even an individual specimen, usually lemma body reduced and prominently awned . Caryopsis ellipsoid . x = 7, 10.

About 40 species: Canada to Argentina, centered on Mexico; two species (both introduced ) in China.[1]

Physical Description

Species Bouteloua curtipendula

Perennial with short, slender, scaly rhizomes. Culms tufted , erect , 30-100 cm tall. Leaf sheaths glabrous or nearly so; leaf blades flat or slightly involute , 20-30 cm, 1-5 mm wide, both surfaces and margins scabrous , base pubescent ; ligule ca. 1 mm. Inflorescence axis 15-25 cm; racemes 10-50, 1-2 cm, purplish, secund along axis, usually nodding , with 3-6 (-10) appressed or ascending spikelets , falling entire. Spikelets 4.5-10 mm; lower glume linear-lanceolate, 2.5-4 mm; upper glume lanceolate, 4(-7) mm; lemma of fertile floret usually somewhat exceeding glumes, acuminate, lateral veins extended into ca. 1 mm mucros ; palea slightly longer than lemma; 2nd floret rudimentary, with long central awn and 2 shorter laterals, or greatly reduced, or lacking. Fl. and fr. summer to autumn. 2n = 28, 35, 40, 42, 56, 70. [source]

This is an American pasture grass (Side-oats Grama) reported to be excellent in China for grazing and also for hay. [source]

Habit: GraminoidGrowth Form: RhizomatousShape and Orientation: Erect

Flowers: Bloom Period: Mid Summer • Flower Color: Yellow • Flower Conspicuous: No

Seeds: Seed per Pound: 159200 • Seed Spread Rate: Slow • Seedling Vigor: High • Fruit/Seed Abundance: Medium • Fruit/Seed Color: Brown • Fruit/Seed Conspicuous: No • Cold Stratification Required: No

Foliage: Foliage Color: Green • Foliage Porosity Summer: Dense • Foliage Porosity Winter: Porous • Foliage Texture: Medium • Fall Conspicuous: No • Leaf Retention: No

Size/Age/Growth

Active Growth Period: Summer • Growth Rate: Moderate • After Harvest Regrowth Rate: Moderate • Mature Height (feet): 3.0 • Size: 18-24" tall. • Vegetative Spread Rate: Slow • Lifespan: Lifespan

Habitat

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 4,848 meters (0 to 15,906 feet).[2]

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: PerennialCoppice Potential: No • Progagated by Bulbs: No • Propagated by Bare Root: No • Propagated by Container: No • Propagated by Corms: No • Propagated by Cuttings: No • Propagated by Seed: Yes • Propagated by Sod: No • Propagated by Sprigs: No • Propagated by Tubers: No • Fruit/Seed Period Begin: Summer • Fruit/Seed Period End: FallFruit/Seed Persistence: No

Growth

Culture: Space 12-15" apart.

Soil: Adapted to Medium Textured: Adapted to Medium Textured Soils • Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils: Yes • Anaerobic Tolerance: None • Salinity Tolerance: Medium • CaCO3 Tolerance: High • Minimum pH: 5.5 • Maximum pH: 7.8 • Fertility Requirement: Medium

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun . • Shade Tolerance: Intolerant

Moisture: Drought Tolerance: Medium • Minimum Precipitation: 6 • Maximum Precipitation: 25 • Moisture Use: Medium

Temperature: Minimum Temperature (F): -33 • Minimum Frost Free Days: 120 • Cold Hardiness: 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b. (map)

Taxonomy

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Synonyms

Andropogon curtipendulum (Michx.) Spreng. Ex Steud. • Atheropogon curtipendulus (Michaux) E. Fournier • Atheropogon curtipendulus (Michx.) E. Fourn. • Chloris curtipendula Michaux • Chloris curtipendula Michx. • Cynodon curtipendulus (Michaux) Raspail • Cynodon curtipendulus (Michx.) Raspail • Dinebra curtipendula (Michaux) P. Beauvois • Dinebra curtipendula (Michx.) P. Beauv. • Eutriana curtipendula (Michaux) Trinius.

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Bouteloua

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 33 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

B. americana (American Grama) · B. aristidoides (Needle Grama) · B. aristidoides var. aristidoides (Needle Grama) · B. aristidoides var. arizonica (Arizona Needle Grama) · B. barbata (Six Weeks Gramma) · B. breviseta (Chino Grama) · B. chondrosioides (Spruce-Top Gramma) · B. curtipendula (Side-Oats Grama) · B. curtipendula var. caespitosa (Sideoats Grama) · B. curtipendula var. curtipendula (Side-Oats Grama) · B. dactyloides (Buffalograss) · B. eludens (Santa Rita Grama) · B. eriopoda (Black Grama) · B. gracilis (Blue Grama) · B. gracilis 'Hachita' (Blue Grama Grass) · B. hirsuta (Hairy Grama) · B. hirsuta var. hirsuta (Hairy Grama) · B. hirsuta var. pectinata (Tall Grama) · B. juncea (Lamilla) · B. kayi (Kay Grama) · B. parryi (Parry Grama) · B. radicosa (Purple Grama) · B. ramosa (Chino Grama) · B. repens (Slender Grama) · B. rigidiseta (Texas Grama) · B. rothrockii (Rothrock Grama) · B. simplex (Mat Grama) · B. stricta (Plants) · B. trifida (Red Grama) · B. trifida var. burkii (Red Grama) · B. trifida var. trifida (Red Grama) · B. uniflora (Nealley Grama) · B. warnockii (Warnock Grama)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 21, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Bi-xing Sun & Sylvia M. Phillips "Bouteloua". in Flora of China Vol. 22 Page 488, 494. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. Mean = 315.950 meters (1,036.581 feet), Standard Deviation = 440.360 based on 9,331 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 7/15/2012