Bouteloua curtipendula ‘Sideoats grama’
Bouteloua curtipendula ‘Sideoats grama’
Bouteloua curtipendula, also known as Sideoats Grama, is a warm-season, perennial bunchgrass native to North America. It's a highly adaptable grass that can be found in a variety of habitats, including prairies, meadows, and savannas. The plant has a clump-forming growth habit, and the stems can reach up to 2-3 feet tall. The leaves are narrow and linear, typically 2-6 inches long and about 1/8 inch wide.
The most distinctive feature of Bouteloua curtipendula is its inflorescence, which is an open panicle of spikelets that are arranged in a line along one side of the stem. The spikelets are small, about 1/4 inch long, and are typically a pale tan to purple-green color. The plant flowers from late spring to early summer, and the flowers are followed by small, light-brown seed heads.
Sideoats Grama is a hardy and drought-tolerant grass that is well-suited to a wide range of soil types, including sandy, clay, and rocky soils. It prefers full sun and well-drained soil, but it can tolerate some shade. It's a great choice for naturalized areas, meadows, and prairies, and it's also used for soil stabilization, erosion control, and as a forage grass for grazing animals.
This native grass works great as a border between turf and native plantings and in landscape beds.