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Texas Grama

Bouteloua rigidiseta

Other common name(s):

Family:

Poaceae (Grass Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Central Great Plains, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, High Plains, Southern Texas Plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Broken Red Plains, Limestone Plains, Red Prairie
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift, Semiarid Edwards Plateau
Coastal Sand Plain, Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Laguna Madre Barrier Island and Coastal Marshes, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Llano Estacado
Northern Nueces Alluvial Plains, Rio Grande Floodplain and Terraces, Semiarid Edwards Bajada, Texas-Tamaulipan Thornscrub
Caprock Canyons Badlands Breaks
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Grass & Sedge

Height

1
to
2
ft.

Spread

1
to
2
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Clay, Dry

Light Requirement

Sun

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Grassland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Yellow, Green, Brown

Bloom Season

Spring, Summer, Fall

Seasonal Interest

Seeds, Nectar, Larval Host, Nesting Material

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds

Maintenance

Short, drought tolerant, and attractive warm-season grass with a large geographic distribution in Texas. It is one of the earliest warm-season grasses to flower, In the wild it occurs on clay and clay loam soils, most abundant on disturbed sites. Supplemental water is not required but will help to stay green through the summer. Propagation: Seed.

Comments

Blooms April-November. Bunching, warm weather grass with a weak root system. Has spreading bell-shaped seeds that are purplish on the outside, drying to wheat color. Seeds are distributed along a spike above the leaves. Important for native Harvester ants who collect the seeds and in turn the Texas Horned Lizard who relies on these native plant structures as nesting material. Larval Host: Branded skippers, Satyrs
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonyms: Aegopogon rigidisetus, Bouteloua texana, Polyodon texanus

References

1) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=17814&locationType=County&mapType=Normal; 2) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=41495#null; 3) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=BORI, 4) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Bouteloua+rigidiseta&formsubmit=Search+Terms, 5) Hatch, Umphres, Ardoin, 2015, Field Guide to Common Texas Grasses, pg 80, 6) https://rangeplants.tamu.edu/plant/texas-grama/, 7) https://seedsource.com/texas-grama/

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Contact a local Chapter

State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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