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Morphology
- Culm
- Erect, slender, solid, glabrous, often bent abruptly below.
- Blades
- Flat or rolled inward near tips, 1-7 inches long, very narrow, tapering, hairy or rough above, glabrous or slightly rough below.
- Sheath
- Shorter than internodes, glabrous or sparsely soft-hairy, particularly on margins near ligule.
- Ligule
- Short fringe of hairs.
- Inflorescence
- Panicles; branches 1-3, .5 to 1.5 inch long, often strongly curved; rachis not projecting beyond spikelet-bearing portion of branch.
- Spikelets
- Numerous, 40-90 per branch, crowded, about 1/5 inch long, on short, minutely pubescent stalks; florets 1 per spikelet, perfect; glumes unequal; lemmas with 1-3 short awns.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Found on dry prairies, particularly in sandy or gravelly soils; not found on wet, poorly drained soils.
- Distribution
- Throughout except southeast corner.
- Reproduction
- Mat forming. Reproduces primarily via tillers.
Practical Information
- Forage Value
- Palatable and nutritious for livestock but provides low forage productivity. Blue grama will withstand moderately heavy grazing.
Additional Notes
Comments
Blue grama does not tolerate shade. It will survive extreme drought, reviving quickly when suitable conditions return. As blue grama seed heads mature, they bend into an eyebrow-like curve.
Special Notes: Blue grama is quite similar to hairy grama but can be distinguished by the lack of the rachis projecting beyond the spikelet-bearing portion of the branch.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Grass
- Family
- Poaceae - Grass Family
- Life Span
- Perennial
- Height
- 6 - 20 inches
- Last Updated
- 2020-07-28
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: June, July, August