Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis)
Blue Grama is a drought-tolerant native grass perfect for low-water lawns. Learn about Bouteloua gracilis care, planting tips, and ecological benefits.
Blue grama grass is a drought-tolerant grass that can survive on as little as seven inches of annual rain. This native grass is an excellent source of food for birds and other animals. Kelli Klein shares the growing tips for Bouteloua gracilis in the garden.
PDF Blue Grama
Description Bouteloua gracilis, blue grama , is a major warm season grass found throughout the Great Plains. The plant is fairly short, reaching 10 to 20 inches with narrow basal leaves of 3 to 6 inches. Blue grama grows in definite bunches and reproduces by tillering and by seed. Mature seed heads are curved, resembling a human eyebrow.
Blue Grama grass is the most common native prairie grass in North America and it's starting to gain favor as a drought-hardy, low maintenance, and attractive turfgrass. Like Buffalo Grass , it thrives in nutrient-poor and water scarce regions, and even when irrigated, still takes less than a ⅓ of the water that Kentucky Bluegrass needs.
PDF Blue Grama
Habitat: Blue grama is most effective when grown in the dryer parts of the northern and southern Great Plains and southwestern region of the U.S. It naturally grows in mixed stands, primarily with buffalograss (Bouteloua dactyloides), needle-and-thread ( Hesperostipa comata), western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii), and green needlegrass (Nassella viridula)in a short grass prairie setting. It ...
Bouteloua gracilis, the blue grama , is a long-lived, warm-season (C4) perennial grass , native to North America. [3][5][6] It is most commonly found from Alberta, Canada, east to Manitoba and south across the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and U.S. Midwest states, onto the northern Mexican Plateau in Mexico. Blue grama accounts for most of the net primary productivity in the shortgrass prairie ...
Blue Grama
Blue grama is a charming, compact grass with unique seed heads. Learn more about this North American native grass in this complete growing guide.
Blue Grama is a short, warm-season grass native to Western North America. Scientifically known as Bouteloua gracilis, it grows 6-24" tall in full sun and well drained soil. Naturally adapted to drought prone and well-draining areas, this grass can survive nearly all droughts, but will go fully dormant in colder areas in the winter[1][2][3].
Blue Grama Grass
Attractive small clump-forming perennial grass with unique, showy flowers. Fine, blue -gray foliage turns a nice golden brown with orange-red hues in fall.
Examples of Blue GramaBouteloua gracilis A bunch forming grass Mature seedheads of Blue Grama on rangeland Seedhead branches curved when mature Seedheads with 1-4 branches per stem Curly leaves with edges rolled up Sparse long white hairs where leaf and sheath meet (collar)