Santa Fe Botanical Garden

Common name: sideoats grama, navajita banderilla, banderilla, grama

Family: Poaceae (Grass)

Distribution: North America, Central America, South America

Habitat: Prairies, dunes

Hardiness: USDA Zone 4 (-30 to -20 °F)

Life form: Grasses

Occurrence in New Mexico: New Mexico native plant

Growing Conditions: B. curtipendula is often a dominant or co-dominant species in open grasslands and wetlands of the Great Plains, growing on dry prairies and on sandhills. In New Mexico, this perennial grass grows on grasslands, woodlands, and in forest openings, usually on well-drained soils. This heat- and drought- tolerant grass has a deep, fibrous root system. It is an excellent forage grass, which withstands grazing fairly well.

Description: This warm-season grass forms erect, wiry clumps. The leaf blades are up to 12 inches long and very slender (less than ¼ inch wide), blue-green in summer, reddish in autumn, and tan in winter. The edges and upper surfaces of the leaves are rough. The flowers are on 12-70 pendulous spikes on 4-12 inch long arching stems. Arching of the stems makes the spikes appear to be arranged on only one side of the stem, but they are actually alternately arranged along the stem. Spikes are 8-20 mm long, with 3-7 spikelets (grass flowers) in two rows along a short stalk. Spikelets have a single fertile floret (both male and female parts) and 1 or 2 sterile florets. The fertile florets are showy, with bright yellow, orange-red or dark purple stamens and white, feathery styles. At maturity, the entire spike falls off, leaving a naked stem behind.