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Grama grasses (Bouteloua)
Grama grasses are a useful genus of grasses that includes species that are used as forage crops for livestock. Some species are grown ornamentally for their attractive brush-like inflorescence. There are around fifty species in this genus and all are native to the Americas. 
Lifespan
Perennial
Plant Type
Herb/Vine
Key Facts About Grama grasses
Feedback
Attributes of Grama grasses
Leaf type
Semi-evergreen
Scientific Classification of Grama grasses
Distribution of Grama grasses
Feedback
Distribution Map of Grama grasses
Native
Cultivated
Invasive
Potentially invasive
Exotic
No species reported
How to Grow and Care for Grama grasses
Feedback
Grama grasses is a hardy genus of grass often used in landscaping. Basic care involves full sun exposure, adequate drainage and infrequent watering, as grama grasses are drought-tolerant. It bonds well with well-aerated, dry to medium moist, and sandy to clay soil. Common challenges are few, primarily focused around overwatering leading to root rot. Grama grasses, being cool-season grass, grows in early spring and fall, needing regular watering. In contrast, during the warm summer months, this genus enters dormancy and requires less care in terms of water and temperature modulation.
How to Water Grama grasses?
What Are the Sunlight Requirements for Grama grasses?
How to Propagate Grama grasses?
How to Plant Grama grasses?
Exploring the Grama grasses Plants
Feedback
8 most common species：
Blue Grama
Blue Grama (*Bouteloua gracilis*) is a perennial grass native to North America. Blue Grama grows in Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. It is valued as forage for livestock and for its ability to tolerate drought conditions.
Side-Oats Grama
Side-Oats Grama is a perennial prairie grass that grows in warm seasons. It is both drought-tolerant and cold-tolerant. Small flowers bloom in summer and fall. Side-Oats Grama is used as food for foraging livestock and planted for erosion control.
Buffalo grass
Buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides) gets its name because it was a staple food source for the thunderous herds of buffalo that once roamed the interior of the North American continent. People are increasingly digging up their old lawns and replacing turf with buffalo grass because of the minimal maintenance requirements. You only have to cut this type of grass occasionally.
Red grama
Red grama is scientifically known as Bouteloua trifida. It is native to northern and central Mexico and the southwestern United States, where it grows in desert scrubs and other dry areas.
Needle grama
Needle grama is a resilient grass known for its delicate, needle-like seed heads that rise above thin, tufted foliage. It thrives in arid landscapes where its drought-tolerant nature allows it to prosper with minimal moisture. This compact grower features a distinctive clumping habit, providing texture and movement to the terrain it inhabits.
Hairy grama
Hairy grama(Bouteloua hirsuta) offers good nutrition for livestock as well as cover for wildlife. It is also attractive to pollinators, which is one reason this plant is used for landscaping and gardens. The scientific name hirsuta derives from the Latin word for "hairy," referring to the hairy leaves of this perennial.
Six-weeks grama
There are three varieties of this species. The var. barbata is an annual plant with decumbent stems that may root at stem nodes, var. rothrockii, sometimes considered a separate species, is perennial with erect stems, and var. sonorae, which is limited to northern Mexico, spreads via stolons.
Black grama
Its main means of reproduction is by stolons, as its ratio of viable seeds to sterile ones is naturally low. The disparity may play a role in its lack of tolerance to overgrazing (relative to other grasses), but aside from this B. eriopoda is a good forage food for livestock.
All Species of Grama grasses
Blue Grama
Blue Grama
Blue Grama (*Bouteloua gracilis*) is a perennial grass native to North America. Blue Grama grows in Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. It is valued as forage for livestock and for its ability to tolerate drought conditions.
Side-Oats Grama
Side-Oats Grama
Side-Oats Grama is a perennial prairie grass that grows in warm seasons. It is both drought-tolerant and cold-tolerant. Small flowers bloom in summer and fall. Side-Oats Grama is used as food for foraging livestock and planted for erosion control.
Buffalo grass
Buffalo grass
Buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides) gets its name because it was a staple food source for the thunderous herds of buffalo that once roamed the interior of the North American continent. People are increasingly digging up their old lawns and replacing turf with buffalo grass because of the minimal maintenance requirements. You only have to cut this type of grass occasionally.
Red grama
Red grama
Red grama is scientifically known as Bouteloua trifida. It is native to northern and central Mexico and the southwestern United States, where it grows in desert scrubs and other dry areas.
Needle grama
Needle grama
Needle grama is a resilient grass known for its delicate, needle-like seed heads that rise above thin, tufted foliage. It thrives in arid landscapes where its drought-tolerant nature allows it to prosper with minimal moisture. This compact grower features a distinctive clumping habit, providing texture and movement to the terrain it inhabits.
Hairy grama
Hairy grama
Hairy grama(Bouteloua hirsuta) offers good nutrition for livestock as well as cover for wildlife. It is also attractive to pollinators, which is one reason this plant is used for landscaping and gardens. The scientific name hirsuta derives from the Latin word for "hairy," referring to the hairy leaves of this perennial.
Six-weeks grama
Six-weeks grama
There are three varieties of this species. The var. barbata is an annual plant with decumbent stems that may root at stem nodes, var. rothrockii, sometimes considered a separate species, is perennial with erect stems, and var. sonorae, which is limited to northern Mexico, spreads via stolons.
Black grama
Black grama
Its main means of reproduction is by stolons, as its ratio of viable seeds to sterile ones is naturally low. The disparity may play a role in its lack of tolerance to overgrazing (relative to other grasses), but aside from this B. eriopoda is a good forage food for livestock.
Tall grama
Tall grama
Tall grama is a resilient grass known for its comb-like inflorescences, where slim, feathered flowers emerge, giving it a distinctive appearance. This native prairie plant thrives in arid conditions, developing deep roots to seek out moisture, and tight clumps of foliage that withstand drought, making it emblematic of the tough, sun-soaked landscapes it inhabits.
Slender grama
Slender grama
Slender grama is a perennial grass preferring warm climates, with slender, sprawling stems that root at the nodes. This adaptation allows it to form dense mats, providing effective ground coverage. Slender grama produces delicate, spike-like inflorescences that reflect its hardiness and ability to thrive in arid conditions, marking it as a resilient and attractive choice for ornamental landscaping.
Texas grama
Texas grama
Texas grama is a grass species characterized by its wiry, upright stems and tufted growth habit. The plant bears slender leaves and distinctive, spike-like seed heads that contribute to its stiffness. Thriving in arid conditions, texas grama displays adaptability to poor soils and drought, making it a resilient component of its native grassland ecosystem.
Sideoats grama
Sideoats grama
Sideoats grama is characterized by its slender, tufted stature and distinctive inflorescences that appear as a series of hanging, purple-tinged spikes on one side of the stem. This grass typically thrives in open, well-drained prairies, where its ability to tolerate drought and poor soils underscores a resilience that befits its native North American grassland habitat.
More Popular Genus
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Dracaena
Dracaena are popular house plants that are easy to grow. They can tolerate low-light conditions and require little watering. Their leaves range from variegated to dark green. Their characteristic traits include woody stems that grow slowly but offer a striking appearance for small spaces such as apartments or offices.
Fig trees
Fig trees have been cultivated in many regions for their fruits, particularly the common fig, F. carica. Most of the species have edible fruits, although the common fig is the only one of commercial value. Fig trees are also important food sources for wildlife in the tropics, including monkeys, bats, and insects.
Brambles
Brambles are members of the rose family, and there are hundreds of different types to be found throughout the European countryside. They have been culturally significant for centuries; Christian folklore stories hold that when the devil was thrown from heaven, he landed on a bramble bush. Their vigorous growth habit can tangle into native plants and take over.
Maples
The popular tree family known as maples change the color of their leaves in the fall. Many cultural traditions encourage people to watch the colors change, such as momijigari in Japan. Maples popular options for bonsai art. Alternately, their sap is used to create maple syrup.
Prunus
Prunus is a genus of flowering fruit trees that includes almonds, cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, and apricots. These are often known as "stone fruits" because their pits are large seeds or "stones." When prunus trees are damaged, they exhibit "gummosis," a condition in which the tree's gum (similar to sap) is secreted to the bark to help heal external wounds.
Nightshades
Nightshades is a large and diverse genus of plants, with more than 1500 different types worldwide. This genus incorporates both important staple food crops like tomato, potato, and eggplant, but also dangerous poisonous plants from the nightshade family. The name was coined by Pliny the Elder almost two thousand years ago.
Roses
Most species of roses are shrubs or climbing plants that have showy flowers and sharp thorns. They are commonly cultivated for cut flowers or as ornamental plants in gardens due to their attractive appearance, pleasant fragrance, and cultural significance in many countries. The rose hips (fruits) can also be used in jams and teas.
Oaks
Oaks are among the world's longest-lived trees, sometimes growing for over 1,000 years! The oldest known oak tree is in the southern United States and is over 1,500 years old. Oaks produce an exceedingly popular type of wood which is used to make different products, from furniture and flooring to wine barrels and even cosmetic creams.
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About
Key Facts
Distribution
How To Care
All Species
More Genus
Grama grasses
Bouteloua
Grama grasses are a useful genus of grasses that includes species that are used as forage crops for livestock. Some species are grown ornamentally for their attractive brush-like inflorescence. There are around fifty species in this genus and all are native to the Americas.
Lifespan
Perennial
Plant Type
Herb/Vine
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Key Facts About Grama grasses
Feedback
Attributes of Grama grasses
Leaf type
Semi-evergreen
Scientific Classification of Grama grasses
Distribution of Grama grasses
Feedback
Distribution Map of Grama grasses
Native
Cultivated
Invasive
Potentially invasive
Exotic
No species reported
How to Grow and Care for Grama grasses
Feedback
Grama grasses is a hardy genus of grass often used in landscaping. Basic care involves full sun exposure, adequate drainage and infrequent watering, as grama grasses are drought-tolerant. It bonds well with well-aerated, dry to medium moist, and sandy to clay soil. Common challenges are few, primarily focused around overwatering leading to root rot. Grama grasses, being cool-season grass, grows in early spring and fall, needing regular watering. In contrast, during the warm summer months, this genus enters dormancy and requires less care in terms of water and temperature modulation.
How to Water Grama grasses?
What Are the Sunlight Requirements for Grama grasses?
How to Propagate Grama grasses?
How to Plant Grama grasses?
Exploring the Grama grasses Plants
Feedback
8 most common species：
Blue Grama
Blue Grama (*Bouteloua gracilis*) is a perennial grass native to North America. Blue Grama grows in Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. It is valued as forage for livestock and for its ability to tolerate drought conditions.
Side-Oats Grama
Side-Oats Grama is a perennial prairie grass that grows in warm seasons. It is both drought-tolerant and cold-tolerant. Small flowers bloom in summer and fall. Side-Oats Grama is used as food for foraging livestock and planted for erosion control.
Buffalo grass
Buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides) gets its name because it was a staple food source for the thunderous herds of buffalo that once roamed the interior of the North American continent. People are increasingly digging up their old lawns and replacing turf with buffalo grass because of the minimal maintenance requirements. You only have to cut this type of grass occasionally.
Red grama
Red grama is scientifically known as Bouteloua trifida. It is native to northern and central Mexico and the southwestern United States, where it grows in desert scrubs and other dry areas.
Show More Species
All Species of Grama grasses
More Popular Genus
Feedback
Dracaena
Dracaena are popular house plants that are easy to grow. They can tolerate low-light conditions and require little watering. Their leaves range from variegated to dark green. Their characteristic traits include woody stems that grow slowly but offer a striking appearance for small spaces such as apartments or offices.
Fig trees
Fig trees have been cultivated in many regions for their fruits, particularly the common fig, F. carica. Most of the species have edible fruits, although the common fig is the only one of commercial value. Fig trees are also important food sources for wildlife in the tropics, including monkeys, bats, and insects.
Brambles
Brambles are members of the rose family, and there are hundreds of different types to be found throughout the European countryside. They have been culturally significant for centuries; Christian folklore stories hold that when the devil was thrown from heaven, he landed on a bramble bush. Their vigorous growth habit can tangle into native plants and take over.
Maples
The popular tree family known as maples change the color of their leaves in the fall. Many cultural traditions encourage people to watch the colors change, such as momijigari in Japan. Maples popular options for bonsai art. Alternately, their sap is used to create maple syrup.
Prunus
Prunus is a genus of flowering fruit trees that includes almonds, cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, and apricots. These are often known as "stone fruits" because their pits are large seeds or "stones." When prunus trees are damaged, they exhibit "gummosis," a condition in which the tree's gum (similar to sap) is secreted to the bark to help heal external wounds.
Nightshades
Nightshades is a large and diverse genus of plants, with more than 1500 different types worldwide. This genus incorporates both important staple food crops like tomato, potato, and eggplant, but also dangerous poisonous plants from the nightshade family. The name was coined by Pliny the Elder almost two thousand years ago.
Roses
Most species of roses are shrubs or climbing plants that have showy flowers and sharp thorns. They are commonly cultivated for cut flowers or as ornamental plants in gardens due to their attractive appearance, pleasant fragrance, and cultural significance in many countries. The rose hips (fruits) can also be used in jams and teas.
Oaks
Oaks are among the world's longest-lived trees, sometimes growing for over 1,000 years! The oldest known oak tree is in the southern United States and is over 1,500 years old. Oaks produce an exceedingly popular type of wood which is used to make different products, from furniture and flooring to wine barrels and even cosmetic creams.
Your Ultimate Guide to Plants
Identify grow and nurture the better way!
17,000 local species +400,000 global species studied
Nearly 5 years of research
80+ scholars in botany and gardening
Continue reading in our app - it's better
A database of 400000+ plants
unlimited guides at your fingertips...
unlimited guides at your fingertips...
