''Bouteloua barbata'' is a species of
grass known by the
common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...
six-weeks grama native to North America.
Distribution
It is native to North America, where it occurs in the southwestern United States and south to
Oaxaca in southern Mexico. It may occur in
Montana.
[Hauser, A. Scott (2005]
''Bouteloua barbata''.
In: Fire Effects Information System, nline U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Retrieved 12-12-2011.[''Bouteloua barbata''.]
Grass Manual Treatment. Retrieved 12-12-2011. It is also present in
Argentina.
[
]
Description
This species is an annual or perennial grass producing tufts of stems up to long,[ lying prostrate, spreading, or standing erect. The inflorescence has up to 11 branches,][ each a dense row of up to 40 spikelets. The fruit weighs about 0.03 milligrams. This lightweight seed is dispersed on the wind and by animals. It is annual or perennial, sprouting from seed or from its root crown after summer rainfall. Flowering usually begins around July and lasts until October.][ There are three varieties of this species. The var. ''barbata'' is an annual plant with decumbent stems that may root at stem nodes, var. ''rothrockii'', sometimes considered a separate species, is perennial with erect stems, and var. ''sonorae'', which is limited to northern Mexico, spreads via ]stolon
In biology, stolons (from Latin '' stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as runners, are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external s ...
s.[
]
Ecology
''Bouteloua barbata'' var. ''barbata'' grows in many types of habitat including prairie, grasslands, pinyon-juniper woodland, chaparral
Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...
, creosote, shrubsteppe, savanna, and Ponderosa pine forest, while ''B. barbata'' var. ''rothrockii'' occurs primarily in subtropical grasslands and adjacent desertscrub, thornscrub, or riparian.overgrazed
Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature rese ...
pastures.[
While it is palatable, this grass is not considered a good forage for livestock, as it is a small plant and is green for a short time. Many types of other animals utilize it, however. Many birds, and small animals including ]prairie dog
Prairie dogs (genus ''Cynomys'') are herbivorous burrowing ground squirrels native to the grasslands of North America. Within the genus are five species: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison's, Utah, and Mexican prairie dogs. In Mexico, p ...
s and desert kangaroo rats eat the seeds of this and other grama grasses. Harvester ants in Arizona also eat the seeds of this species.[
]
References
External links
The Nature ConservancyCalPhotos Photo Gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4950432
barbata
Barbata (Bergamasque: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about east of Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, a ...
Flora of the Southwestern United States
Plants described in 1805
Flora of Mexico
Grasses of the United States