Flora of the Southeastern United States

Bouteloua curtipendula (Michaux) Torrey var. curtipendula. Common name: Side-oats Grama. Phenology: Jul-Sep. Habitat: Prairies, dry rocky slopes and bluffs over calcareous rocks (such as limestone, dolomite, or calcareous shale) or ultramafic rocks (such as serpentine or metabasalt), limestone glades. Distribution: S. Connecticut west to Montana, south to Virginia, e. Tennessee, nw. Georgia, Alabama, Panhandle Florida (Gadsden County), Texas, Arizona, and California; also in Central and South America. The older literature refers to B. curtipendula as introduced in South Carolina, but the single specimen documenting its occurrence there appears to be from experimental plantings at Clemson University; there is apparently no evidence of its establishment there. B. curtipendula is now sometimes included in seed mixes, and appears as a waif or short-term introduction, including in the Piedmont of South Carolina (K. Bradley, pers.comm., 2020). B. curtipendula occurs on serpentine in the Piedmont of Georgia (J. Allison, pers. comm.).

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Taxonomy Comments: Var. caespitosa Gould & Kapadia is cespitose rather than rhizomatous and enters our region only along its western edge.

Synonymy ⓘ: = Ar, C, Can, ETx1, FlGr, FNA25, K1, K4, Mo1, NcTx, NE, NS, NY, POWO, Tx, Va, Gould (1979); < Antheropogon curtipendulus (Michx.) E.Fourn. — S13; < Bouteloua curtipendula (Michx.) Torr. — F, G, HC, Il, Mex, Mi, Pa, RAB, S, Tn, Tx, W, WH3, WV, Peterson, Romaschenko, & Herrera Arrieta (2015). Basionym: Chloris curtipendula Michx. 1803

Links to other floras: = Bouteloua curtipendula var. curtipendula - FNA25

Show in key(s)

Show parent genus | Show parent in key(s)

Heliophily ⓘ: 9