Santa Fe Botanical Garden

Common name: James' galleta, curly grass, galleta

Family: Poaceae (Grass)

Synonym: Pleuraphis jamesii

Distribution: Central and Southwestern United States

Habitat: Canyons, montane slopes and meadows, open woodlands

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

Life form: Grasses

Occurrence in New Mexico: New Mexico native plant

Growing Conditions: James’ galleta grass is native to the southwestern United States, from Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, as far north as southern Wyoming, west through the Rocky Mountains and Intermountain West to California. It is found in canyons, deserts, dry plains, sandy plateaus, piñon-juniper woodlands, and sometimes in Ponderosa pine forests at elevations from 3,500-7,000 feet. It is especially common in the Colorado Plateau grasslands of New Mexico, but is uncommon in the southern part of the state. It tolerates high temperatures and very arid soils. This tufted perennial grass spreads primarily by rhizomes or stolons that are just beneath the soil surface. It is nutritious forage for native herbivores and domestic livestock when it is green, but is less palatable when dry. Because it needs very little water when established, can form dense rhizomatous mats, and withstands heavy foot traffic, it can used as a lawn alternative. Galleta is sometimes used for reclamation projects, where it out-competes invasive annuals.

Description: This warm season, bushy grass has 8-25 inch long stems that are usually erect and much branched at the bases, with conspicuous hairs at most nodes. The leaves are ridged and often curled when dry. The flower cluster is a series of conspicuous, hairy, purple to tan rectangular spikelets 1-2 ½ inches long. Three spikelets occur at each node. When mature, they drop as a unit and reveal a characteristic zig-zagging axis of the upper stalk. Lateral spikelets have 3 staminate flowers, and the central spikelet has 1 bisexual flower. When mature, tan-colored, wedge-shaped papery bracts (glumes) become conspicuous below the spikelets. The lower glumes have awns. The grass is strongly stoloniferous and produces few viable seeds.