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Extension

Plant Profile 
FYUSE 3D Image

Common Name: Blue Grama
Species Name: Bouteloua gracilis
Plant Type: Grasses & Grass-like
Family Name: Poaceae
Tribe: Cynodonteae, Gramagrass Tribe

 
Plant Facts 
OriginNative
DurationPerennial
SeasonWarm
Distribution in the U.S.Central portion from southern Canada to central Mexico, the Great Basin and southern California
Distribution in OklahomaWestern two-thirds

ID Characteristics

  • Vegetative Characteristics

    Vegetative

    • Bunch-forming
    • Curly leaves, with edges rolled up
    • Rhizomatous
    • Sparse long white hairs where leaf and sheath meet (collar)

    Floral

    • Absence of stout bristle at the end of flowering branch
    • Branches in seed head curve when dried
    • 1-4 branches per stem
  • Leaf and Stem Characteristics
    • Plant Height: 10-70 centimeters
    • Ligule Type: Ciliate
    • Sheath: Glabrous or pilose
    • Leaves: Basal
 
Habitat/Ecology 
Soil TypeSands, clays, loams and gravels
HabitatDry, open areas with shallow soils
Successional StageMid to late