''Bouteloua'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of plants in the grass family

Poaceae Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivate ...

. Members of the genus are commonly known as grama grass.

Description

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

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

of 1 to 80

raceme A raceme () or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate growth, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are ...

s or spikes positioned alternately on the culm (stem). The

rachis In biology, a rachis (from the [], "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 case the ''rachi ...

(stem) of the spike is flattened. The

spikelet A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the inflorescences 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 sp ...

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 ...

, and usually one sterile floret.

Taxonomy

The genus was first described by Mariano Lagasca in 1805. It was named for Claudio and Esteban Boutelou, 19th-century Spanish botanists. David Griffiths produced a 1912

monograph A monograph is generally a long-form work on one (usually scholarly) subject, or one aspect of a subject, typically created by a single author or artist (or, sometimes, by two or more authors). Traditionally it is in written form and published a ...

on the genus.

Species

Species of ''Bouteloua'' include: * '' Bouteloua alamosana'' Vasey –

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...

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

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

, northern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

* '' Bouteloua annua'' Swallen – Baja California Sur,

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

* '' Bouteloua arizonica'' (M.E.Jones) Cuellar & Columbus * '' Bouteloua aristidoides'' (Kunth) Griseb. – needle grama – United States (

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

); Mexico, South America,

Aruba Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...

* '' Bouteloua barbata'' Lag. – six-weeks grama – United States, Mexico * '' Bouteloua bracteata'' (McVaugh) Columbus –

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The stat ...

* '' Bouteloua breviseta'' Vasey – United States, Mexico * '' Bouteloua chasei'' Swallen * '' 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 botanical name, species epithet comes ...

'' (Michx.) Torr. – sideoats grama – widespread in USA, Canada, Mexico * '' Bouteloua dactyloides'' ( Nutt.) Columbus – buffalograss – USA, Canada, Mexico * '' Bouteloua dimorpha'' Columbus –

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

in USA, Canada, Mexico,

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...

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

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

; also Cuba, Galápagos * '' Bouteloua diversispicula'' Columbus * '' Bouteloua elata'' Reeder & C.Reeder * '' Bouteloua eludens'' Griffiths – USA (Arizona, New Mexico), Mexico ( Chihuahua, Coahuila,

) * '' Bouteloua erecta'' (Vasey & Hack.) Columbus * '' Bouteloua eriopoda'' (Torr.) Torr. – United States, Mexico * '' Bouteloua eriostachya'' (Swallen) Reeder * '' Bouteloua gracilis'' (Willd. ex Kunth) Lag. ex Griffiths – blue grama –

in USA, Canada, Mexico * '' Bouteloua griffithsii'' Columbus * '' Bouteloua herrera-arrietae'' P.M.Peterson & Romasch. * '' Bouteloua hirsuta'' Lag. – USA (Great Plains, Southwest), Mexico, Guatemala * '' Bouteloua johnstonii'' Swallen – Coahuila * '' Bouteloua juncea'' (Desv. ex Beauv.) A.S.Hitchc. – lamilla – Cuba, Hispaniola,

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

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

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of 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 the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

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

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

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

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern 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 maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

, Honduras * '' Bouteloua multifida'' (Griffiths) Columbus – from Sonora to

Oaxaca Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...

* '' Bouteloua nervata'' Swallen – Hidalgo, 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 Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...

, Hidalgo,

Guanajuato Guanajuato, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato, is one of the 32 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guanajuato, 46 municipalities and its cap ...

, Tlaxcala, Nuevo León,

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

* '' Bouteloua polymorpha'' (E.Fourn.) Columbus – from Durango to Oaxaca * '' Bouteloua purpurea'' Gould & Kapadia – Guanajuato, D.F., San Luis Potosí, México State, Hidalgo,

Querétaro Querétaro, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Querétaro, 18 municipalities. Its capital city is Querétaro Cit ...

* '' Bouteloua radicosa'' (E. Fourn.) Griffiths – purple grama – USA (Arizona, New Mexico), Mexico (Chihuahua, Michoacán, Coahuila, Morelos, Puebla, Durango,

Zacatecas Zacatecas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 31 states of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Zacatecas, 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas City, Zacatec ...

, Distrito Federal de México, Jalisco, Nuevo León, Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Tamaulipas) * '' Bouteloua ramosa'' Scribn. ex Vasey * '' Bouteloua reederorum'' Columbus – Durango, Puebla, Zacatecas, Oaxaca * '' Bouteloua reflexa'' Swallen – Sonora, Sinaloa, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Nayarit * '' Bouteloua repens'' (Kunth) Scribn. & Merr. – slender grama – Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Mesoamerica,

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

* '' Bouteloua rigidiseta'' (Steud.) Hitchc. – Texas grama – New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mexico ( Aguascalientes, Durango) * '' Bouteloua scabra'' (Kunth) Columbus – from Hidalgo to Honduras * '' Bouteloua scorpioides'' Lag. * '' Bouteloua simplex'' Lag. Much of southwestern and central United States, Central America, western South America * '' 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,

, Oaxaca, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas * '' Bouteloua vaneedenii'' Pilg. – Cuba,

Leeward Islands The Leeward Islands () are a group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico, they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. In Engl ...

, Venezuela * '' Bouteloua varia'' (Swallen) Columbus * '' 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)

Distribution

''Bouteloua'' is found only in the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

, with most diversity centered in the southwestern United States. It also occurs in the Ciénaga de Zapata Biosphere Reserve of

.Ciénaga de Zapata National Park
on ''whc.unesco.org''.

Uses

Many species are important livestock forage, especially '' Bouteloua gracilis'' (blue grama).

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