Buffalo grass

Images

Click on image to view full size

Buffalo grass

Buffalo grass

Buffalo grass pistillate spikelets flowering

Buffalo grass stolons

Buffalo grass anthers

Buffalo grass

Staminate spikelets of buffalo grass

Buffalo grass pistillate spikelets

Pistillate spikelets of buffalo grass

Morphology

Culm

Erect or decumbent, slender, solid, shorter on female plants than on male plants; nodes glabrous; internodes flattened.

Blades

Flat, 1 to 5 inches long, sparsely hairy.

Sheath

Loose, glabrous except for a few marginal hairs near collars.

Ligule

Membranous, fringed with hairs.

Inflorescence

Inflorescences of staminate plants panicles; branches 2-5, 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, flag-like; inflorescences of pistillate plants bur-like, 1-3, almost hidden among leaves.

Spikelets

Spikelets of staminate plants 6-12 per branch, arranged in 2 rows; florets 2 per spikelet; spikelets of pistillate plants 2-5; florets 1 per spikelet; second glume and lemma awned.

Ecology

Habitat

Exposed, well-drained sites on medium to fine textured soils. Will not tolerate shade.

Distribution

Throughout Kansas.

Practical Information

Forage Value

Livestock readily graze buffalo grass, except during dry spells when it goes dormant. It can furnish good winter grazing. Buffalo grass protects itself from being overgrazed by producing its leaves very close to the ground.

Additional Notes