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Home  /  Plants  /  Budburst Species  /  Bouteloua gracilis
Phenology Observation Sheet for Grasses

COMMON NAME

Blue grama

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Bouteloua gracilis

Plant family

Grass (Poaceae)

Plant group

Grasses

Blue grama grass is a warm-season perennial grass, with roots up to 2 meters deep, native to much of North America.
234 reports
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OBSERVERS
234+
OBSERVATIONS
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Identification hints

Blue grama has distinctive flowers clustered along branches of the flower stalks (spikes) which dangle from the stem, often described as resembling a human eyebrow. You can distinguish blue grama from similar species by its hairless stems and lack of an elongated spike at the end of the flower stalk.
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Did you know?

Blue grama is valued as forage, and for landscaping and erosion control. It is tolerant of grazing. Blue Grama flowers are also used in dried flower arrangements. Blue grama is readily established from seed, but depends more on vegetative reproduction via tillers. Seed production is slow, and depends on soil moisture and temperature. Seeds dispersed by wind only reach a few meters; farther distances are reached with insects, birds, and mammals as dispersal agents. Blue grama is the state grass of Colorado and New Mexico, and is listed as an endangered species in Illinois.
DISTRIBUTION IN TH U.S.
Arizona , California , Colorado , Connecticut , Florida , Iowa , Idaho , Illinois , Kansas , Massachusetts , Maine , Michigan , Minnesota , Missouri , Montana , North Dakota , Nebraska , New Mexico , Nevada , New York , Ohio , Oklahoma , South Carolina , South Dakota , Texas , Utah , Wisconsin , Wyoming
HABITAT
It is most commonly found from Alberta east to Manitoba and south across the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and Midwest states to Mexico. Blue grama grows on a wide array of topographic positions, and in a range of well-drained soil types, from clay to sand. It is intolerant of wet sites, acid soils, or shaded sites. Blue grama is the most widely distributed grama grass.
ATTRIBUTES
Leaves
The narrow basal leaves grow to about 3 to 6 in (8 to 15 cm) and are tapered at both ends. The upper surfaces of the leaves can have short hairs while the lower surfaces are generally smooth. Blue grama is green to grayish in appearance.
Flowers
The flowers are clustered in 2 to 5 spikes at the top of the stems. Spikelets hang from the flowering stalk with a short branchlet (pedicel) only on the lower side. There can be anywhere between 20 and 130 spikelets per branch. They are dry light brown to dark brownish-blue.
Fruits
The tiny, mature seed heads are curved, resembling a human eyebrow. It is readily established from seed, but depends more on vegetative reproduction via tillers.
Bloom Time
Leaves begin to grow from mid-April through June, depending on location. Flowering generally occurs in the summer (July to September). The fruit ripens and disperses from August to October, depending on location.

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