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black grama
Scientific Name: Bouteloua eriopoda
Family: Poaceae
Category: Monocot
Growth: Graminoid
Duration: Perennial
Other Names:
Black Grama (Bouteloua eriopoda)
Black Grama, scientifically known as Bouteloua eriopoda, is a perennial prairie grass common in the Southwestern United States. It is also referred to as woollyfoot grama, hairyfoot grama, or navajita negra.
Considerations for Pets
- The text mentions that Black Grama has weak, crooked, slender, woolly stems that often take root at swollen, fuzzy joints, which could pose a potential ingestion hazard for pets.
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Scientific Name: Bouteloua eriopoda (Torr.) Torr.
- Family: Poaceae (Grass Family)
- Synonyms: woollyfoot grama, hairyfoot grama, navajita negra
Distribution and Habitat
- Native to the Southwestern United States, including West Texas and eastern New Mexico.
- Found in arid and semiarid deserts and grasslands.
- Grows in dry sandy plateaus and rocky slopes.
Morphological Characteristics
- Perennial grass with a life span described as perennial.
- Growth form is described as tall, erect to spreading, simple.
- Forms large bunches, typically one to two feet tall.
- Spreads by wiry stolons.
- Has weak, crooked, slender, woolly stems.
- Yellow flowers appear in mid-Spring.
Ecological Role
- Important forage grass, especially in the plains and western coastal regions of North America.
- It is a choice forage grass grazed by all livestock and sometimes cut for hay.
Interactions with Other Organisms
- Large mesquite shrubs are frequently associated with burrow mounds of banner-tail kangaroo rats in former black-grama grasslands.
Additional Resources
- USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Tucson Plant Materials Center
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center