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Blue Grama
Bouteloua gracilis
  
About Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis) 53 Nurseries Carry This Plant Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis) is a widespread, long-lived, warm-season, perennial grass native to North America. It is most commonly found from Alberta east to Manitoba and south across the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and Midwest states to Mexico. In California, it is found primarily in arid mountains of San Bernardino County.

Blue Grama accounts for most of the net primary productivity in the shortgrass prairie of the central and southern Great Plains. Blue Grama grows on a wide array of topographic positions, and in a range of well-drained soil types, from fine- to coarse-textured.

Roots generally extend 1 to 1.5 feet from the edge of the plant, and 3 to 6 feet deep. Maximum rooting depth is approximately 6.5 feet. In recent years, Blue Grama has become a popular garden accent grass, due to its green to greyish color and interesting seed heads, which resemble small pennants. 'Blond Ambition" is a popular cultivar.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Grasses

Size
Size
0.49 - 2 ft tall
2 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast, Moderate

Flower Color
Flower Color
Yellow

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Summer

Wildlife Supported
 
Attractive to a variety of insects and birds

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 4 confirmed , 1 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerates a variety of soils as long as adequate drainage is provided

Common uses
Common uses
Groundcovers, Deer Resistant

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
In the garden it can be used with a wide variety of native plants.

Maintenance
Maintenance
Pruning is not necessary, but plant can be cut back in winter when dormant.

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
2, 3, 7*, 8*, 9*, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Sandy rocky slopes, flats, prairies, plains, open rocky woodlands below 7000 feet

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 5.9" - 33.4", Summer Precipitation: 0.17" - 3.20", Coldest Month: 30.9" - 57.6", Hottest Month: 56.3" - 79.3", Humidity: 1.91" - 31.22", Elevation: 180" - 8943"


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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