Plant types and subtypes: Ground Covers, Grasses, Prairie Grasses, Ornamental Grasses
Light Requirements: sun, part-sun
Water Use: low
Soil Moisture: dry, moist
Soil Description: acid, neutral, average, poor, loam, clay, sand, gravel/rock
Bloom Time: May, June, July
Bloom Color: red, crimson, purple
Leaf Color: green
Hardiness Zone: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Additional Tags: attracts birds, attracts butterflies, clumping, colonizing, drought tolerant, fall interest, mat-forming, naturalizing, ornamental foliage, rock garden plant
Pricing & Availability
Bouteloua curtipendulaAlso known as:
Sideoats grama is a medium-sized bunch grass. At the beginning of the growing season, plants might have a blue-green, or purplish color, maturing to green in summer, then shifting to brown, orange, and red hues in fall. Its texture is coarser than most other species of grama. Both the inflorescence and ensuing seed heads are visually interesting, consisting of a zigzag stalk with oat-like spikelets dangling to one side.
Bouteloua curtipendula is one of the most important range, and foraging perennial grasses. In a garden setting, it offers many strong points: it provides visual interest from spring through fall, it has a clumping habit and is not overly aggressive, due to its low height during the beginning of the growing season it can be used effectively as a visual filler in perennial flower beds. It is very easy to grow in most soil conditions, adapted to full, to part sun, and fairly drought tolerant. Zones 3-9
Easily propagated by division in early spring or fall, and by unstratified seed.
Sideoats grama may be used as a sod grass and may be mowed once established. It is attractive to birds as a source of food and shelter. It is also attractive to various species of butterflies.
Native Range & Classification
Recorded County Distribution: USDA data
AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WV, WY
USDA Endangered Status:
- Endangered: CT, NJ, NY
- Special Concern: KY
- Threatened: MI, PA
|Species||Bouteloua curtipendula||sideoats grama|