| Bouteloua chondrosioides | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A drawing of the grass, showing seed head and inflorescence | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Genus: | Bouteloua |
| Species: | B. chondrosioides |
| Binomial name | |
| Bouteloua chondrosioides (Kunth) Benth. ex S. Watson | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Bouteloua chondrosioides, commonly known as sprucetop grama, is a perennial bunchgrass native to southern Arizona and northern Mexico.
Sprucetop grama is a small drought tolerant bunchgrass that grows to around 1 foot (0.30 m) tall in the wild. [2] Under ideal conditions the plant can grow up to 3 feet (0.91 m) tall and exhibit turfgrass characteristics. [3] Flowers are spikate, notable for their bright orange anthers, [2] and are sent up in July through August. Seeds are set and spread September through October, although Sprucetop can also be propagated through rootstock. Flowers grow on racemes containing 3 to 7 spikes. Each spike bears between 7 and 13 perfect spikelets. Leaves are mostly basal with short sheathes and are mildly furrowed. Roots are strong and fibrous, but lack a central taproot. [4]
Sprucetop grama is found chiefly in northern Mexico and in the desert foothills of southern Arizona. Field research showed that sprucetop preferred shallow slopes with acidic clay soils. Sprucetop was usually found growing among other drought tolerant prairie grasses, such as Bouteloua hirsuta and Hilaria belangeri . It represents an important forage crop for cattle grazing. [4]
The Chihuahuan Desert is a desert and ecoregion designation covering parts of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. It occupies much of West Texas, the middle and lower Rio Grande Valley, the lower Pecos Valley in New Mexico, and a portion of southeastern Arizona, as well as the central and northern portions of the Mexican Plateau. It is bordered on the west by the Sonoran Desert and the extensive Sierra Madre Occidental range, along with northwestern lowlands of the Sierra Madre Oriental range. On the Mexican side, it covers a large portion of the state of Chihuahua, along with portions of Coahuila, north-eastern Durango, the extreme northern part of Zacatecas, and small western portions of Nuevo León. With an area of about 501,896 km2 (193,783 sq mi), it is the largest desert in North America.
Bouteloua curtipendula, commonly known as sideoats grama, is a perennial, short prairie grass that is native throughout the temperate and tropical Western Hemisphere, from Canada south to Argentina.
Bouteloua gracilis, the blue grama, is a long-lived, warm-season (C4) perennial grass, native to North America.
Bouteloua is a genus of plants in the grass family. Members of the genus are commonly known as grama grass.
Bouteloua dactyloides, commonly known as buffalograss or buffalo grass, is a North American prairie grass native to Canada, Mexico, and the United States. It is a shortgrass found mainly on the High Plains and is co-dominant with blue grama over most of the shortgrass prairie.
Ferocactus wislizeni, the fishhook barrel cactus, also called Arizona barrel cactus, candy barrel cactus, and Southwestern barrel cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family Cactaceae, native to northern Mexico and the southern United States. It is a ball-shaped cactus eventually growing to a cylindrical shape, with spiny ribs and red or yellow flowers in summer.
Festuca arizonica, commonly called Arizona fescue, is a grass found in western North America, in the southwest United States and northern Mexico. This species also has the common names mountain bunchgrass and pinegrass.
Diarrhena americana, also known as American beak grass or American beakgrain, is a native, perennial bunchgrass of North America.
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.
Sclerocactus papyracanthus is a species of cactus known by the common names paperspine fishhook cactus, grama grass cactus, paper-spined cactus, and toumeya. It is native to North America, where it occurs from Arizona to New Mexico to Texas and into Chihuahua, Northeastern Mexico.
Bouteloua barbata is a species of grass known by the common name six-weeks grama. It is native to North America, where it occurs in the southwestern United States and south to Oaxaca in southern Mexico. It may occur in Montana. It is also present in Argentina.
Muhlenbergia cuspidata is a species of grass known by the common name plains muhly. It is native to North America where it is distributed across central Canada and the central United States.
Celtica gigantea, commonly called giant feather grass, giant needle grass, or golden oats, is a bunchgrass in the genus Celtica, native to southern Europe. It occurs in Spain and other Mediterranean countries. It is still widely referenced in the horticultural literature under its synonym Stipa gigantea.
Pleuraphis mutica is a species of grass known by the common name tobosa, or tobosa grass. It is native to Northern Mexico, and the Southwestern United States, in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Nassella cernua is a species of grass known by the common name nodding needlegrass.
Bouteloua eludens, colloquially known as Santa Rita grama or sometimes Santa Rita Mountain grama, is a grass species in the grama genus native to southern Arizona in the United States and northern Sonora in Mexico.
Bouteloua repens, colloquially known as slender grama, is a grass species in the grama genus native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
Bouteloua radicosa, colloquially known as purple grama, is a grass species in the grama genus native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
Bouteloua parryi, colloquially known as Parry's grama, is a grass species in the grama genus native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
Bouteloua simplex, colloquially known as matted grama or mat grama, is a grass species in the grama genus native to much of the Americas.