Sideoats Grama

  • 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.

  • The species epithet comes from Latin curtus "shortened" and pendulus "hanging".

  • Sideoats grama grows well on mountainous plateaus, rocky slopes, and sandy plains. It is drought- and cold-tolerant and is hardy in USDA hardiness zones 4–9 (average annual minimums of −30 to 25 °F, −34 to −4 °C).

  • Sideoats grama is considered a good foraging grass for livestock. It is planted for erosion control.