Bouteloua hirsuta, commonly known as hairy grama, is a perennial short prairie grass that is native throughout much of North America, including the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies region, as well as Mexico and Guatemala.

Bouteloua hirsuta
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Chloridoideae
Genus: Bouteloua
Species:
B. hirsuta
Binomial name
Bouteloua hirsuta
Lag.

Description

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B. hirsuta is a warm-season grass growing 10–20 in (0.2-0.5 m tall, and grows well on mountainous plateaus, rocky slopes, and sandy plains. The leaf blade is flat or slightly rolled, narrow, mostly basal, with hairy margins. The leaf sheath is rounded, smooth, and shorter than internodes. The seedhead is one to four spikes, purplish before maturity, about 1 in (2.5 cm) long; the rachis extends beyond spikelets. It is used primarily for grazing.[1]

Distribution

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Hairy grama prefers rocky slopes, as well as dry yet sandy areas between 4,000–6,500 ft (1,200–2,000 m).[2]

References

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  1. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "​Bouteloua hirsuta​". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team.
  2. ^ Gould, Frank W. (1951). Grasses of Southwestern United States. Tucson: University of Arizona. pp. 147–148. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
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  •   Media related to Bouteloua hirsuta at Wikimedia Commons
  •   Data related to Bouteloua hirsuta at Wikispecies
  • "Bouteloua hirsuta". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
  • Beetle, A. A. 1970. Recommended plant names. Univ. Wyoming Agr. Exp. Sta. Res. J. 31.
  • Cronquist, A. et al. 1972–. Intermountain flora.
  • Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
  • FNA Editorial Committee. 1993–. Flora of North America.
  • Gould, F. W. 1979. The genus Bouteloua (Poaceae). Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 66:394.
  • Herrera A., Y. et al. 2004. Revisión de Bouteloua Lag. (Poaceae).
  • Kartesz, J. T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland.
  • Mejía-Saulés, M. T. & P. Dávila A. 1992. Gramíneas Útiles de México. Cuad. Inst. Biol. 16.