Side-Oats Grama
By Lise Fracalossi
Bouteloua curtipendula
Native to: MA and CT
Life cycle: Perennial Grass
Light: Full/Partial Sun
Soil Moisture: Medium to Dry
Height: 2’
Spacing: 10-24”
Blooms: August-September (non-showy)
Natural Habitat: Human-disturbed or -maintained habitats, cliffs, balds, or ledges, river or stream floodplains, meadows and fields, ridges or ledges, woodlands
Benefits: Bird Favorite, Deer Resistant, Host Plant (eg. skipper butterflies)
“Bouteloua curtipendula, or Side-oats Grama, is a rarity among native grasses in the way that it sports its tiny attractive flowers during the summer bloom time (see detailed photos.) Bracts hang uniformly from one side of the stem while brilliant red-purple anthers dangle below and delicate white stigmas protrude above. When the seed heads dry, they have a distinctly oat-like appearance.”
–Prairie Moon Nursery
“Sideoats grama is common in the prairies of the Great Plains, and widespread elsewhere, but in New England it is rare… Dam building, shading due to forest succession, and invasive species are probable factors in sideoats grama decline.”
–Go Botany
