Bouteloua curtipendula, commonly known as sideoats grama,[3] is a perennial, short prairie grass that is native throughout the temperate and tropical Western Hemisphere, from Canada south to Argentina.
Andropogon curtipendulus (Michx.) Spreng. ex Steud.
Atheropogon curtipendulus (Michx.) E. Fourn.
Cynodon curtipendulus (Michx.) Raspail
Dinebra curtipendula (Michx.) P. Beauv.
Eutriana curtipendula (Michx.) Trin.
Atheropogon acuminatus E.Fourn.
Atheropogon affinis (Hook.f.) E.Fourn.
Atheropogon apludoides Willd.
Atheropogon racemosus (Lag.) Roem. & Schult.
Bouteloua acuminata (E.Fourn.) Griffiths
Bouteloua melicoides P.Beauv.
Bouteloua racemosa Lag.
Chloris secunda (Pursh) Eaton
Cynodon melicoides Raspail
Cynosurus secundus Pursh
Dineba melicoides P.Beauv.
Dinebra melicoides P.Beauv.
Dinebra secunda (Pursh) Roem. & Schult.
Erucaria glabra Cerv.
Eutriana affinis Hook.f.
Eutriana gracilis Hook.f. 1847 not (Kunth) Trin. 1824
Eutriana racemosa (Lag.) Trin. ex E.Fourn.
Heterostega curtipendula (Michx.) Schwein. ex Hook.f.
Melica curtipendula (Michx.) Steud.
The species epithet comes from Latincurtus "shortened" and pendulus "hanging".
Description
Sideoats grama is a warm-season grass. The culms (flowering stems) are 30–100cm (12–39in) tall,[4] and have alternate leaves that are concentrated at the bottom of the culm.[5] The leaves are light green to blue-green in color, and up to 6mm (1⁄4in) across.[5]
The flowers bloom in summer and autumn. They consist of compact spikes that hang alternately in a raceme along the top 15 to 25cm (6 to 10in) of the culm. The spikes often fall to one side of the stem, which gives the plant its name. There are 10–50 spikes per culm, and in each spike there are three to six spikelets, or rarely as many as 10. Each spikelet is 4.5 to 10mm (3⁄16 to 13⁄32in) long[4] and consists of two glumes and two florets. One of the florets is fertile, and has colorful orange to brownish red anthers and feathery white stigmas during the blooming period, which contrasts with the pale green, pale red, greenish-red, or purple[6] color of the spikes themselves.[5]
After blooming, the spikes become straw-colored. The fertile florets produce seeds, and when they are ripe, the spikes fall to the ground.[5]
Distribution and habitat
Sideoats grama grows well on mountainous plateaus, rocky slopes, and sandy plains. It is drought- and cold-tolerant and is hardy in USDA hardiness zones 4–9 (average annual minimums of −30 to 25°F, −34 to −4°C).
Ecology
It provides larval food for the veined ctenucha (Ctenucha venosa).[7]
Conservation
It is currently listed as a threatened species in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is considered as an endangered species in Connecticut.[non-primary source needed]
Uses
Sideoats grama is considered a good foraging grass for livestock. It is planted for erosion control.
Cultivation
It is cultivated as an ornamental plant for native plant and drought-tolerant gardens.
"Bouteloua curtipendula". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – via The Plant List.
USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Bouteloua curtipendula". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
Sun, Bi-xing; Phillips, Sylvia M. "Bouteloua curtipendula". Flora of China. Vol.22 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
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