Native Plant Database

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Grass/Grass-like
Root Type: Fibrous
Leaf Arrangement: Basal
Size Class: 1-3 ft.
Inflorescence: Spike
Fruit Type: Grain
Size Notes: 1 to 3 feet, rarely higher
Leaf Color: Green, Blue-green, sometimes turning purple or red in fall
Autumn Foliage: yes
Fruit Color: Tan, Ivory

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Red , Orange , Yellow
Bloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov

Distribution

USA: AL , AZ , AR , CA , CO , CT , FL , GA , HI , ID , IL , IN , IA , KS , KY , LA , ME , MD , MI , MN , MS , MO , MT , NE , NV , NJ , NM , NY , ND , OH , OK , OR , PA , SC , SD , TN , TX , UT , VA , WA , WV , WI , WY , DC
Canada: MB , ON , SK
Native Distribution: South-central Canada and much of the US, south through Mexico and Central America to western South America as far as Argentina
Native Habitat: Prairies; open brush; forest openings; rocky slopes
USDA Native Status: L48(N), HI(I), CAN(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist , Dry
CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium
Drought Tolerance: High
Cold Tolerant: yes
Heat Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: Medium-textured, well-drained soils. Disturbed, igneous, limestone-based sands, loams, and clays.
Conditions Comments: Often found growing with Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), but doesnt compete well with very tall grasses.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: An attractive grass good for wildflower meadows, prairie restorations, and garden accents.
Use Wildlife: Provides bird food, nesting material, and cover, as well as graze for mammals.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Attracts: Birds , Butterflies
Larval Host: Green Skipper butterfly, Dotted Skipper butterfly
Deer Resistant: Highly

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)

Bouteloua curtipendula is a larval host and/or nectar source for:

Orange Skipperling (Copaeodes aurantiaca) Food Source Learn more at BAMONA	Bronze Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes aenus) Food Source Learn more at BAMONA	Sheep Skipper (Atrytonopsis edwardsi) Larval Host Learn more at BAMONA	Elissa Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes elissa) Larval Host Learn more at BAMONA
Green Skipper (Hesperia viridis) Larval Host Learn more at BAMONA	Dotted Skipper (Hesperia attalus) Larval Host Learn more at BAMONA

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds , Root Division
Description: Easily propagated from seed sown unstratified in fall or statified in spring. Sow 1/4 deep. Plants may be divided while dormant in spring or fall.
Seed Collection: Collect seed in summer.
Commercially Avail: yes
Maintenance: It may be cut back in winter but this is not necessary. The clump-forming, bunchgrass variety can be mowed or cut back only very sparingly; mowing more than twice a year (once before June and once after frost) may damage it. If you have to mow it during the summer growing season, mow no shorter than 8 inches and no more than once. The spreading, rhizomatous variety can be mowed more often and shorter with little or no damage.

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Find Seed or Plants

Order seed of this species from Native American Seed and help support the Wildflower Center.

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.

Mr. Smarty Plants says

Question: Can you provide a list of plants for use on slopes in S. Texas?
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Question: I'm looking for a plant to stop erosion; I have big wash outs that are starting to erode my yard so I guess I'm looking for deep rooting plants. I live south of Tucson, Arizona. If you can advise me I would be grateful.
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Question: What native grasses can be grown under large Live Oaks in the Dallas Area? The combination of shade and black gumbo soil seem to keep all plant life, except for poison ivy and ferns, out. I would love to replace the spotty St Augustine grass that is currently in place.
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Question: Hi Mr. Smarty Plants, I have a question about the East Texas area: Specifically, which natvie grasses can be planted to hold the soil/new roads through the winter? Here is the situation: (Against my will), my uncle and father are planning to use some of the land for timber (pines). However, there are several roads (to be used a paths for 4 wheelers) cut through the area where they just cleared and my uncle is planning to plant them in rye grass (as recommend by the forester) so it will hold the roads and soil through the winter. Also, the dam along the pond was just fixed (beavers had cut through it) and needs grass there to keep the soil as well. Is there a native alternative for both situations that you can recommend? I have tried to explain the benefit of planting native grasses here (I am a UT Geography student and took a class at Wildflower Center with Mark Simmons in Fall of 2007). However, my uncle does not believe me, instead chosing to believe the forester and his rye grass everywhere theory (which brings in the hogs, who destroy the land). Currenlty, the open land is overrun with non-native Bahhia - what is the best way to get rid of that and encourage native growth? Burning? Thank you for your help. Any information you can share with me (and hopefully my uncle!) would be helpful.
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Question: Hello, I am looking for advice on native plants to control erosion on a steep hillside in the western cross timbers. This is a shady area under post oaks and cedar elms, in shallow sandy soil mixed with large boulders. Most of the land is 45 degrees or worse. Oh, and the plants must be deer-resistant as it is heavily infested with deer. The primary understory now is smilax and prickly pear.
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From the National Suppliers Directory

According to the inventory provided by Associate Suppliers, this plant is available at the following locations:

Sunshine Farm & Gardens - Renick, WV
Ohio Prairie Nursery - Hiram, OH

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden - Santa Barbara, CA
Texas Discovery Gardens - Dallas, TX
Sibley Nature Center - Midland, TX
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX
Patsy Glenn Refuge - Wimberley, TX

Bibliography

Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America (2005) Covell, C.V., Jr.
Field Guide to Western Butterflies (Peterson Field Guides) (1999) Opler, P.A. and A.B. Wright
Gardening with Prairie Plants: How to Create Beautiful Native Landscapes (2002) Wasowski, S.
Native Landscaping from El Paso to L.A. (2000) Wasowski, S. and A. Wasowski
* Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski
Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife (1999) Damude, N. & K.C. Bender

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Bouteloua curtipendula in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Bouteloua curtipendula in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Bouteloua curtipendula