Blue Grama, Bouteloua gracilis

About Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis) 54 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Blue Grama is a widespread, long-lived, warm season, C4 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 Counties. 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. Plant height at maturity ranges from 15-30 centimeters. Roots generally extend 30-46 centimeters from the edge of the plant, and 0.9-1.8 meters deep. Maximum rooting depth is approximately 2 meters. 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 penants. There is a popular cultivar known as 'Blond Ambition'.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Grasses

Size

0.49 - 2 ft tall
2 ft wide

Form

Upright

Growth Rate

Fast, Moderate

Flower Color

Yellow

Flowering Season

Summer

Wildlife Supported

Attractive to a variety of insects and birds
Butterfly host plants

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 4 confirmed

, 2 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoidesOchlodes sylvanoides

Pahaska Skipper Hesperia pahaskaHesperia pahaska

Ridings' Satyr Neominois ridingsiiNeominois ridingsii

Uncas Skipper Hesperia uncasHesperia uncas

Orange Skipperling Copaeodes aurantiacaCopaeodes aurantiaca

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture

Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 54

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium

Soil Description

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

Common uses

Groundcovers, Deer Resistant

Companion Plants

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

Maintenance

Pruning is not necessary but it can be cut back in winter when it is dormant

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Sunset Zones?

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

Natural Setting

Site Type

Sandy rocky slopes, flats, prairies, plains, open rocky woodlands below 7,000 ft.

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"

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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

Blue Grama

Bouteloua gracilis

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Blue GramaBouteloua gracilis

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Blue Grama

Bouteloua gracilis