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Extension

Plant Profile 
FYUSE 3D Image

Common Name: Buffalograss
Species Name: Bouteloua dactyloides, formerly Buchloe dactyloides
Plant Type: Grasses & Grass-like
Family Name: Poaceae, Grass Family
Tribe: Cynodonteae, Gramagrass Tribe

   
Plant Facts
OriginNative
DurationPerennial
SeasonWarm
Distribution in the U.S.From Montana and the Dakotas southward into Mexico and Central America
Distribution in OklahomaWestern two-thirds and dry sites in the eastern half
  • Field Identification Characteristics

    Vegetative

    • Very short, less than 6 inches tall
    • Stolons naked and wiry
    • Gray-green foliage
    • Leaves usually have hair on top and bottom surface

    Floral

    • Separate male and female plants (dioecious)
    • Male has seed heads sticking up like flags, 1-3 branches per stem
    • Female has small burs hidden within blades
  • Leaf and Stem Characteristics
    • Plant Height: 3-25 centimeters
    • Ligule Type: Ciliate
    • Sheath: Glabrous
    • Leaves: Cauline
  • Floral Characteristics
    • Inflorescence Type: Spike (male); bur (female)
    • Florets Per Spikelet: 2
    • Glumes: Unequal
   
Habitat/Ecology
Soil TypeLoamy-clay soils
HabitatIntermittently wet or dry soils
Successional StageMid to late