SafePlants

Texas Grama (Bouteloua rigidiseta)

Texas grama is a warm-season perennial grass native to North America, particularly common throughout South Texas. It is also referred to as Texas Gamma.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Bouteloua rigidiseta (Steud.) Hitchc.
• Family: Poaceae (Grass Family)
• Tribe: Chlorideae
• Synonyms: Not explicitly stated, but the text refers to Bouteloua rigidiseta (Steud.) Hitchc. Poaceae, suggesting it might be a previously used but equivalent scientific name.

Distribution and Habitat

• Native to Texas, Oklahoma, and Mexico (Aguascalientes, etc.).
• Common throughout South Texas.
• Found in a variety of soil types and plant communities, commonly on sand, sandy loam, clay and clay loam soils.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

• Perennial grass with a warm-season growth pattern.
• Forms small tufts with few stems.
• Stems are erect with smooth, dark nodes.
• Leaves are short and crowded.
• Low-growing, dense bunchgrass, typically grows to 1-2 feet.

Ecological Role

• In some areas, it has replaced more productive grasses like buffalograss.
• May be considered an "invader" in some contexts.
• A dominant species in some short-grass communities of central Texas.

Interactions with Other Organisms

• Provides poor grazing for wildlife and livestock.
• Commonly associated with plants such as narrow-leaf yucca, grassland pricklypear, juniper, red grama, sideoats grama, hairy grama, and purple three-awn.

Quirky Facts

• While Texas designated sideoats grama as the official state grass in 1971, Texas Grama is still a common ornamental grass.

Further Information

• Native American Seed: For purchasing Texas Grama seeds.
• Discover Life: For information about the biology, natural history, ecology, identification, and distribution of Texas grama.
• Native Plant Society of Texas: For research and conservation efforts.
• EBSCOhost: For access to articles and essays.