''Bouteloua'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of plants in the grass family. Members of the genus are commonly known as grama grass.

Taxonomy and systematics

The genus was named for

Claudio Claudio is an Italian and Spanish first name. In Portuguese it is accented Cláudio. In Catalan and Occitan it is Claudi, while in Romanian it is Claudiu. Origin and history Claudius was the name of an eminent Roman gens, the most important me ...

and Esteban Boutelou, 19th-century Spanish botanists. David Griffiths produced a 1912 monograph on the genus.

Description

''Bouteloua'' includes both annual and perennial grasses, which frequently form stolons. Species have an

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

of 1 to 80 racemes or

spikes The SPIKES protocol is a method used in clinical medicine to break bad news to patients and families. As receiving bad news can cause distress and anxiety, clinicians need to deliver the news carefully. By using the SPIKES method for introducing a ...

positioned alternately on the culm (stem). The

rachis In biology, a rachis (from the grc, ῥάχις [], "backbone, spine") is a main axis or "shaft". In zoology and microbiology In vertebrates, ''rachis'' can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this c ...

(stem) of the spike is flattened. The

spikelet A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the flowers of grasses, sedges and some other Monocots. Each spikelet has one or more florets. The spikelets are further grouped into panicles or spikes. The part of the spikelet that ...

s are positioned along one side of the spike. Each spikelet contains one fertile

floret This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

, and usually one sterile floret.

Distribution

''Bouteloua'' is found only the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

, with most diversity centered in the southwestern United States.

Uses

Many species are important livestock

forage Forage is a plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term ''forage'' has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used ...

, especially

blue grama ''Bouteloua gracilis'', the blue grama, is a long-lived, warm-season ( C4) perennial grass, native to North America. It is most commonly found from Alberta, Canada, east to Manitoba and south across the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and U.S ...

Species

Species of ''Bouteloua'' include:Gould, F. W. & R. Moran. 1981. The grasses of Baja California, Mexico. Memoir San Diego Society of Natural History 12: 1–140 * ''

Bouteloua alamosana ''Bouteloua'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. Members of the genus are commonly known as grama grass. Taxonomy and systematics The genus was named for Claudio and Esteban Boutelou, 19th-century Spanish botanists. David Griffiths ...

'' Vasey –

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in southern North America and most of Central America. It extends from approximately central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica ...

* ''

Bouteloua americana ''Bouteloua'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. Members of the genus are commonly known as grama grass. Taxonomy and systematics The genus was named for Claudio and Esteban Boutelou, 19th-century Spanish botanists. David Griffiths ...

'' (L.) Scribn. – American grama – southern Mexico,

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

, northern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

* ''

Bouteloua annua ''Bouteloua'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. Members of the genus are commonly known as grama grass. Taxonomy and systematics The genus was named for Claudio and Esteban Boutelou, 19th-century Spanish botanists. David Griffiths ...

'' Swallen – Baja California Sur, Sonora * ''

Bouteloua aristidoides ''Bouteloua aristidoides'', the needle grama, is an annual desert grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bam ...

'' (Kunth) Griseb. – needle grama – United States (

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

); Mexico, South America, Aruba * '' Bouteloua barbata'' Lag. – six-weeks grama – United States, Mexico * '' Bouteloua bracteata'' (McVaugh) Columbus – Michoacán * '' Bouteloua breviseta'' Vasey – United States, Mexico * '' Bouteloua chondrosioides'' (Kunth) Benth. ex S.Watson – sprucetop grama – United States ( AZ TX); Mesoamerica * ''

Bouteloua curtipendula ''Bouteloua curtipendula'', commonly known as sideoats grama, is a perennial, short prairie grass that is native throughout the temperate and tropical Western Hemisphere, from Canada south to Argentina. The species epithet comes from Latin "sh ...

'' (Michx.) Torr. – sideoats grama – widespread in USA, Canada, Mexico * ''

Bouteloua dactyloides ''Bouteloua dactyloides'', commonly known as buffalograss or a buffalo grass, is a North American prairie grass native to Canada, Mexico, and the United States. It is a shortgrass found mainly on the High Plains and is co-dominant with blue gra ...

'' (

Nutt. Thomas Nuttall (5 January 1786 – 10 September 1859) was an England, English botany, botanist and zoologist who lived and worked in America from 1808 until 1841. Nuttall was born in the village of Long Preston, near Settle, North Yorkshire, S ...

)

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

– buffalograss – USA, Canada, Mexico * '' Bouteloua dimorpha'' Columbus – Great Plains in USA, Canada, Mexico, Honduras,

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

* '' Bouteloua distans'' Swallen – Mexico * '' Bouteloua disticha'' (Kunth) Benth. – from southern Mexico to

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

; also Cuba, Galápagos * '' Bouteloua eludens'' Griffiths – USA (Arizona, New Mexico), Mexico ( Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora) * ''

Bouteloua eriopoda ''Bouteloua eriopoda'', commonly known as black grama, is a perennial prairie grass that is native to the Southwestern United States. Its main means of reproduction is by stolons, as its ratio of viable seeds to sterile ones is naturally low. The ...

'' (Torr.) Torr. – United States, Mexico * '' Bouteloua gracilis'' (Willd. ex Kunth) Lag. ex Griffiths – blue grama – Great Plains in USA, Canada, Mexico * ''

Bouteloua hirsuta ''Bouteloua hirsuta'', commonly known as hairy grama, is a perennial short prairie grass that is native throughout much of North America, including the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies region, as well as Mexico and Guatemala Guatemala ( ...

'' Lag. – USA (Great Plains, Southwest), Mexico, Guatemala * '' Bouteloua johnstonii'' Swallen – Coahuila * '' Bouteloua juncea'' (Desv. ex Beauv.) A.S.Hitchc. – lamilla – Cuba, Hispaniola,

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

* '' Bouteloua media'' (E.Fourn.) Gould & Kapadia – from central Mexico to

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

* '' Bouteloua megapotamica'' (Spreng.) Kuntze –

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, Bolivia * '' Bouteloua mexicana'' (Scribn.) Columbus – Mexico,

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

, Guatemala, Honduras * ''

Bouteloua multifida ''Bouteloua'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. Members of the genus are commonly known as grama grass. Taxonomy and systematics The genus was named for Claudio and Esteban Boutelou, 19th-century Spanish botanists. David Griffiths p ...

'' (Griffiths) Columbus – from Sonora to

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

* '' Bouteloua nervata'' Swallen –

Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila * Hidalgo, Nuevo Le� ...

, México State * '' Bouteloua parryi (E. Fourn.) Griffiths – Parry's Grama, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Northern Mexico * '' Bouteloua pectinata'' (''Bouteloua hirsuta'' var. ''pectinata'') – tall grama, eyebrow grass – Texas * '' Bouteloua pedicellata'' Swallen – Puebla, Hidalgo, Guanajuato,

Tlaxcala Tlaxcala (; , ; from nah, Tlaxcallān ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tlaxcala ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tlaxcala), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 60 municipaliti ...

, Nuevo León,

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

* '' Bouteloua polymorpha'' (E.Fourn.) Columbus – from Durango to Oaxaca * '' Bouteloua purpurea'' Gould & Kapadia – Guanajuato, D.F., San Luis Potosí, México State, Hidalgo, Querétaro * '' Bouteloua radicosa'' (E. Fourn.) Griffiths – purple grama – USA (Arizona, New Mexico), Mexico (Chihuahua, Michoacán, Coahuila, Morelos, Puebla, Durango,

Zacatecas , image_map = Zacatecas in Mexico (location map scheme).svg , map_caption = State of Zacatecas within Mexico , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type ...

, Distrito Federal de México, Jalisco, Nuevo León, Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Tamaulipas) * ''

Bouteloua reederorum ''Bouteloua'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. Members of the genus are commonly known as grama grass. Taxonomy and systematics The genus was named for Claudio and Esteban Boutelou, 19th-century Spanish botanists. David Griffiths p ...

'' Columbus – Durango, Puebla, Zacatecas, Oaxaca * '' Bouteloua reflexa'' Swallen – Sonora, Sinaloa,

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

, Baja California Sur,

Nayarit Nayarit (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit), is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its ...

* '' Bouteloua repens'' (Kunth) Scribn. & Merr. – slender grama – Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Mesoamerica, Colombia,

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

* '' Bouteloua rigidiseta'' (Steud.) Hitchc. – Texas grama – New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mexico ( Aguascalientes, Durango) * '' Bouteloua simplex'' Lag. Much of southwestern and central United States, Central America, western South America * '' Bouteloua scabra'' (Kunth) Columbus – from Hidalgo to Honduras * '' Bouteloua stolonifera'' Scribn. – San Luis Potosí, Aguascalientes, Zacatecas * '' Bouteloua swallenii'' Columbus – from El Salvador to Venezuela * '' Bouteloua triaena'' (Trin. ex Spreng.) Scribn. – from Sinaloa to Guatemala * '' Bouteloua trifida'' Thunb. – Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Mexico * '' Bouteloua uniflora'' Vasey – Nealley grama, oneflower grama – Utah, Texas, Coahuila, Zacatecas, Nuevo León, Querétaro, Oaxaca, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas * '' Bouteloua vaneedenii'' Pilg. – Cuba, Leeward Islands, Venezuela * '' Bouteloua warnockii'' Gould & Kapadia – Warnock's grama – New Mexico, Texas, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas * '' Bouteloua williamsii'' Swallen – Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras File:Bouteloua barbata (4191996700).jpg, ''Bouteloua barbata'' (six-weeks grama) File:Bouteloua curtipendula (3797569342).jpg, ''Bouteloua curtipendula'' (sideoats grama) File:Bouteloua eriopoda HC-1950.png, ''Bouteloua eriopoda'' (black grama) File:Bouteloua gracilis2.jpg, ''Bouteloua gracilis'' (blue grama) File:Eutriana multiseta - Species graminum - Volume 3.jpg, ''Bouteloua megapotamica'' File:Bouteloua trifida HC-1950.jpg, ''Bouteloua trifida'' (red grama)

Formerly included

Some grass species, formerly classified under ''Bouteloua'', have been reclassified under other genera including: *''

Cathestecum ''Cathestecum'' (common name false grama) is a genus of the North American plants in the grass family. The name is sometimes misspelled as ''Cathestechum''. ; SpeciesDavidse, G., M. Sousa Sánchez & A.O. Chater. 1994. Alismataceae a Cyperaceae ...

'' *'' Chondrosum'' *'' Neobouteloua''

References

External links

*
Interactive Key to ''Bouteloua'' of North America
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2693100 Bunchgrasses of North America Bunchgrasses of South America Grasses of North America Grasses of South America Poaceae genera Taxa named by Palisot de Beauvois Taxa named by Mariano Lagasca