Family:
Poaceae Barnhart
Genus:
Bouteloua Lag.

Bouteloua gracilis (Kunth) Lag. ex Griffiths

This species is accepted, and its native range is W. & Central Canada to Mexico.

[GB]
Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect, or decumbent; 25-60 cm long. Culm-nodes glabrous, or pubescent. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades 5-10 cm long; 1-2.5 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 1-3(-4); single, or borne along a central axis; spreading; arcuate; unilateral; 1.5-5 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 2-5 cm long; tip without extension, or subulate. Rhachis semiterete; scabrous on surface. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; crowded. Spikelets pectinate; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 5-6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pilose.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 5-6 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus pilose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; reaching apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma; gaping. Lower glume lanceolate; 3-3.5 mm long; 0.6 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein smooth, or scabrous; eciliate, or ciliate. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex setaceously attenuate. Upper glume lanceolate; 5-6 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein smooth to scabrous; eciliate to ciliate. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex setaceously attenuate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma oblong; 4-6 mm long; coriaceous; keeled; 3 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma apex lobed; 3 -fid; with outer lobes shorter and with central lobe bidentate; incised 0.3 of lemma length; awned; 3 -awned. Principal lemma awn from a sinus; 1-3 mm long overall. Lateral lemma awns arising on inner edge of lobes; 0.5-2 mm long; shorter than principal. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Palea apex with excurrent keel veins. Rhachilla extension pubescent; hairy at tip. Apical sterile florets 1(-2) in number; barren; cuneate; 0.4 mm long. Apical sterile lemmas lobed; 2 -fid; obtuse; awned; 3 -awned. Apical sterile lemma awns 2-3 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 2.5-3 mm long. Embryo 0.75 length of caryopsis.
Distribution
North America: western Canada, northwest USA, north-central USA, northeast USA, southwest USA, south-central USA, southeast USA, and Mexico.
Reference
Cynodonteae. Gould.

Native to:

Alberta, Arizona, British Columbia, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Manitoba, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southwest, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Saskatchewan, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Introduced into:

Bangladesh, China North-Central, China Southeast, Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Saudi Arabia, South Carolina

English
Blue Grama

Bouteloua gracilis (Kunth) Lag. ex Griffiths appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
Pringle, C.G. [407], Mexico Chondrosum gracile K000309012 Yes

First published in Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 14: 375 (1912)

Accepted by

  • Allred, K.W. (2012). Flora Neomexicana, ed. 2, 1: 1-599. Range Science Herbarium, Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Not accepted by

  • Clayton, W.D., Harman, K.T. & Williamson, H. (2006). World Grass Species - Synonymy database The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. [Cited as Chondrosum gracile.]

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Cope, T.A., Knees, S.G. & Miller, A.G. (2007). Flora of the Arabian peninsula and Socotra 5(1): 1-387. Edinburgh University Press.
  • Dávila, P., Mejia-Saulés, M.T., Gómez-Sánchez, N., Valdés-Reyna, J., Ortíz, J.J., Morín, C., Castrejón, J. & Ocampo, A. (2006). Catálogo de las Gramíneas de México: 1-671. CONABIO, México city.
  • Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2003). Flora of North America North of Mexico 25: 1-781. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
  • Mostaph, M.K. & Uddin, S.B. (2013). Dictionary of plant names of Bangladesh, Vasc. Pl.: 1-434. Janokalyan Prokashani, Chittagong, Bangladesh.

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    Common Names from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Living Collection https://www.kew.org/

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0