Download 21. Sideoats Grama - Friess Lake School District

Common Name of Plant: Sideoats Grama
Scientific Name of Plant: Bouteloua Curtipendula
Average Height of Plant: 10-40 inches tall
Blooming Time: July-September
Ask the Botanist
What are the leaves like?
Sideoats grama has basal leaves. Basal means that the leaves sprout from the base of the plant.
Each leaf is about ¼ inch wide and is from 2-12 inches long. The leaves are comparatively
stiff and have long sparse hairs that reach to the edge of the leaf. The leaves also grow on the
flower stalk in a whirled pattern. These leaves to no have petioles connecting them to the
flower stalk.
What type of flowers bloom on this plant?
The very small flowers are bright purple and orange. The flowers grow on stalks that can
grow up to 40 inches tall. The flower clusters on each stalk are about 12 inches long. Sideoats
grama blooms between July and early September.
What is unusual about the seedpods or seeds of this plant?
The seeds are located on the top12 inches of the flower stalk. The seeds resemble oat seeds in
shape. They are a tan color and very small. The seeds all hang down on one side of the stalk
and all point downward.
How is this plant important to animals? Has it also been used by people?
This plant can be eaten by a wide variety of animals, and can be used for shelter. It can be
used as forage for livestock during the summer, but it does not taste as good as other short
prairie grasses. The Lakota Indians use this grass to weave into baskets.
Is there anything else unusual about this plant?
Sideoats is useful for erosion control on highway slopes. It typically grows in small bunches.
Sideoats can grow in area with elevations up to 7,000 feet, on rocky open slopes, in shallow
woodlands, in open grassland, and in forests. It is found all over the United States.
Pictures
Whole Plant
Leaf
Flower and Seeds
Plant in Autumn
Plant Emerging in the Spring