Sideoats Grama

This is an American pasture grass (Side-oats Grama) reported to be excellent in China for grazing and also for hay.

Perennial with short, slender, scaly rhizomes. Culms tufted, erect, 30–100 cm tall. Leaf sheaths glabrous or nearly so; leaf blades flat or slightly involute, 20–30 cm, 1–5 mm wide, both surfaces and margins scabrous, base pubescent; ligule ca. 1 mm. Inflorescence axis 15–25 cm; racemes 10–50, 1–2 cm, purplish, secund along axis, usually nodding, with 3–6 (–10) appressed or ascending spikelets, falling entire. Spikelets 4.5–10 mm; lower glume linear-lanceolate, 2.5–4 mm; upper glume lanceolate, 4(–7) mm; lemma of fertile floret usually somewhat exceeding glumes, acuminate, lateral veins extended into ca. 1 mm mucros; palea slightly longer than lemma; 2nd floret rudimentary, with long central awn and 2 shorter laterals, or greatly reduced, or lacking. Fl. and fr. summer to autumn. 2n = 28, 35, 40, 42, 56, 70.

Cultivated in China [native to America].

Chloris curtipendula Michaux, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 59. 1803; Atheropogon curtipendulus (Michaux) E. Fournier; Cynodon curtipendulus (Michaux) Raspail; Dinebra curtipendula (Michaux) P. Beauvois; Eutriana curtipendula (Michaux) Trinius.

More info for the term: culm

The immediate effect of fire on sideoats grama varies seasonally with
differences in air temperature and plant desiccation. A study in Arizona indicated that
lethal temperatures at culm bases of sensitive
perennial grasses such as sideoats grama closely approximate existing air
temperatures at or near ground level during hot dry months of summer.
During cooler, moister periods, when plant material is less desiccated, lethal temperatures
at culm bases are much higher. Over the 2-year study, the lethal temperatures for sideoats grama ranged
from 138 to 154 degrees Fahrenheit (58.8-73.7 °C) [98].

More info for the terms: cover, frequency, grassland, mesic

Site grazing and fire history is likely to affect the response of grasses
to fire. In an unfinished manuscript, Hulbert (as presented in Gibson [72])
specified 6 to 10 years of mowing and burning treatments are not sufficient
to remove all effects of prior burning and grazing, which may influence fire
behavior and effects on sideoats grama.

The response of sideoats grama to fire varies with time of burning. Several
studies report favorable response of sideoats grama to spring burning. Sideoats grama increased under
annual early spring burning of grassland pasture [6]. In Kansas bluestem prairie, Aldous
[4] studied response to several annual burning treatments conducted after rains, when
wet ground protected the root crowns of dominant grasses.
The number of sideoats grama plants doubled in 6 years under early spring
burning; increased under mid-spring burning; increased by more than a 3rd of
the original number of plants in the late spring-burned plot; but showed little
change on the fall-burned and unburned plots [4]. In Wisconsin late-spring fire enhanced flowering of sideoats
grama more than did an early spring fire, and resulted in a  greater
postfire increase in flowering on
the mesic site compared to the drier site. In the first 2 years of the
study, sideoats grama averaged a 250% increase in flowering after early spring burning and 600%
after late spring burning on dry-mesic plots. Increases in flowering on the dry
site were 60% and 150% for early and late spring burns, respectively [88]. McMurphy [134] compared percent basal cover

of sideoats grama on plots burned annually in March with those
burned in April or May, and with unburned plots, over 12 years. On
the "ordinary upland" site with medium- or loam-textured soil, the unburned pasture consistently had a lower
percent of sideoats grama than the burned plots, although the differences were only significant
(p<0.05) between unburned and early (March) burn sites, and not significant in all
years. There was no apparent trend between burned and unburned plots on the
limestone breaks site. On the claypan site, late spring (May) burned and early
(March) burned pastures supported significantly more (p<0.05) sideoats grama than the mid-spring
(April) and unburned plots. In contrast, Henderson [87] compared an unburned plot with
3 plots with 3 different fire treatments (late fall, early spring, and late spring burn),
and found no significant difference in frequency of occurrence of sideoats grama
among plots. The author specifies that due to the abundance of sideoats grama,
only dramatic declines would have been detected by the frequency of occurrence
data.

Sideoats grama increased following early spring burns in eastern Kansas [190]
and in southern Nebraska. The table below compares the herbage yield of sideoats
grama harvested in June and September from burned and mowed plots [199]:

Herbage yield (kg/ha) by
treatment
Harvest date
Burned (April 25, 1980)
Mowed (September 1979 and 1980)
Control
June 1980
152
82
49
September 1980
155
244
160
June 1981
191
123
16
September 1981
705
59
274

sideoats grama

sideoats gramagrass

tall grama

banderilla

banderita

Sideoats grama has a global rank of G5, indicating it is demonstrably secure
globally, but may be quite rare in parts of its range [129]. State and province protection
status for sideoats grama is given below.

Location Rank Rank Key
Connecticut Endangered Species in danger of extinction throughout all
or a significant portion of its range, and with less than 5 occurrences in
the state [39].
Kentucky Species of special concern Taxon should be monitored because is exists in a
limited geographical area; may become threatened or endangered due to
habitat destruction or biological or other factors; or is thought to be rare
or declining but insufficient evidence exists to list it as endangered or
threatened [107].
Maryland S2 State rare or vulnerable to extirpation.
Typically 6 to 20 occurrences or few remaining individuals or acres [129].
Michigan S1/S2 S1: Critically imperiled in the state because of
extreme rarity (5 or fewer occurrences or very few remaining individuals or
acres). S2: Imperiled in state because of rarity (6 to 20 occurrences or few
remaining individuals or acres) or because of some factors making it very
vulnerable to extirpation from the state [138].
Mississippi S3/S4 S3: Rare or uncommon in state (21 to 100
occurrences). S4: Apparently secure in state [141].
New Jersey Endangered Species in danger of extinction throughout all
or a significant portion of its range [152].
New York S1, Endangered Critically imperiled because of rarity ( 5 or
fewer sites or very few remaining individuals) or extremely vulnerable to
extirpation from the state due to biological factors [216].
Pennsylvania S2 Imperiled in the state because of rarity or
because of some factor(s) making it very vulnerable to extirpation from the
state. Typically 6 to 20 occurrences [138].
West Virginia S3 May be somewhat vulnerable to extirpation (20 to
100 documented occurrences) [218]
Manitoba S2 Rare and may be vulnerable to extirpation [172].


Sideoats grama is the state grass of Texas [199].

More info for the terms: caryopsis, fruit, root crown, warm-season

Sideoats grama is a native, warm-season perennial grass that grows 3 to 39 in
(8-100 cm) tall [78,196]. Bouteloua curtipendula var.
curtipendula culms occur singly or in small clusters from creeping rhizomes,
while B. curtipendula var. caespitosa culms are in large clumps
arising from a common root crown [42]. Sideoats grama leaves are 0.11 to 0.15 inch (3-4
mm) wide and flat at maturity [78,93]. Inflorescences are elongate and may bear over 20 and up to 80 deciduous spikes
[49,78,105], each of which bears 3 to 8 spikelets hanging to one side [78,93,128]. The fruit is an awnless caryopsis [49].

Sideoats grama typically has many coarse, fibrous roots [205], which may grow 2
to 4 feet (0.6-1.2 m) in length and spread laterally 1 to 1.5 feet (0.3-0.5 m)
in the top 2 to 4 inches (5-10 cm) of soil [214]. In a Nebraska study sideoats
grama plants had a range of 170 to 423 roots per
plant [215]. Roots of sideoats grama are well adapted to growth in dry
conditions [214]. They extend rapidly into wet subsurface levels, reducing plant
dependency on more variable moisture conditions at the surface
soil [188]. More information on drought resistance of sideoats grama is included
in Management Considerations.

Sideoats grama's North American distribution stretches from southern Canada to Mexico.
In Canada it occurs in Saskatchewan [42], Manitoba, and Ontario [78]. In the northern United States it
is distributed from Oregon to Maine [206];
in the eastern states south to Florida [230], excluding Vermont, New Hampshire, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, and North Carolina [206]; and in the western United States to
California and Texas. Its distribution continues south through Mexico to Central
and South
America [42,78,105]. Bouteloua curtipendula var. caespitosa is found primarily in the
southern part of the species' range, from the southwestern United States to South America. Bouteloua curtipendula  var. curtipendula is found
in the northern part of the species' range, from the southwestern United States to Canada [49,73,104]. Plants Database provides maps of sideoats grama's
distribution and distributions of the 2 varieties.

More info for the terms: fire regime, frequency, grassland, seed, shrubland, stand-replacement fire, wildfire, woodland

Fire adaptations:
Sideoats grama establishes after fire through seed and/or lateral spread by rhizomes and
tillers. Recovery often takes 2 to 3 years [227,228] and varies with site conditions,
burning frequency, and plant growth form (see Fire Effects).
Sideoats grama fruits lack an awn; therefore, initial seed dispersal onto burned
sites is effected primarily by wind. Postfire seed production may increase after burning. In Wisconsin, flowering of
sideoats grama increased after spring burns [88] (see Fire Effects).
However, another Wisconsin study found no increase in flowering of sideoats
grama after an April wildfire [51] .

FIRE REGIMES:
Grassland and shrubland ecosystems where sideoats grama is important
historically experienced frequent, stand-replacement fire. FIRE REGIMES are highly variable across sideoats grama's wide
distributional range, however. In plains grassland communities
where sideoats grama is important, historic fire return intervals ranged from
less than 10 years up to 35 years. Return fire intervals for desert grassland communities
with sideoats grama
ranged from 1 to 100 years, and some shrub-dominated communities with sideoats
grama had historic fire return intervals of 100+ years [163]. Fire return intervals for plant communities and ecosystems in which sideoats grama occurs
are summarized in the table below. Find further fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under "Find FIRE REGIMES".

Community or Ecosystem Dominant Species Fire Return Interval Range (years)
bluestem prairie Andropogon gerardii var. gerardii-Schizachyrium scoparium < 10 [114,163]
Nebraska sandhills prairie A. gerardii var. paucipilus-S. scoparium < 10
bluestem-Sacahuista prairie A. littoralis-Spartina spartinae < 10
desert grasslands Bouteloua eriopoda and/or Pleuraphis mutica 5-100
plains grasslands Bouteloua spp. < 35 [163]
blue grama-needle-and-thread grass-western wheatgrass B. gracilis-Hesperostipa comata-Pascopyrum smithii 163,180,229]
blue grama-buffalo grass B. gracilis-Buchloe dactyloides < 35
grama-galleta steppe Bouteloua gracilis-Pleuraphis jamesii < 35 to < 100
blue grama-tobosa prairie B. gracilis-P. mutica < 35 to < 100
mountain-mahogany-Gambel oak scrub Cercocarpus ledifolius-Quercus gambelii < 35 to < 100
juniper-oak savanna Juniperus ashei-Q. virginiana < 35
Ashe juniper J. ashei < 35
cedar glades J. virginiana 3-7
pinyon-juniper Pinus-Juniperus spp. 163]
Colorado pinyon P. edulis 10-400+ [64,75,106,163]
interior ponderosa pine* P. ponderosa var. scopulorum 2-30 [9,10,121]
mesquite Prosopis glandulosa 135,163]
mesquite-buffalo grass P. glandulosa-Buchloe dactyloides < 35
Texas savanna P. glandulosa var. glandulosa 163]
oak-hickory Quercus-Carya spp. 210]
oak-juniper woodland (Southwest) Quercus-Juniperus spp. 163]
bur oak Q. macrocarpa 210]
oak savanna Q. macrocarpa/Andropogon gerardii-Schizachyrium scoparium 2-14 [163,210]
shinnery Q. mohriana < 35
little bluestem-grama prairie S. scoparium-Bouteloua spp. < 35 [163]


*fire return interval varies widely; trends in variation are noted in the species summary

More info for the terms: fire management, litter, mesic

Spring burning appears to be most beneficial to sideoats grama [4,6,88]. Site
characteristics should be part of a fire management plan for sideoats
grama. Fire is more beneficial in relatively humid, more productive grasslands
than in drier, less productive sites, partially because litter buildup in
more productive communities can reduce sideoats grama productivity, while litter improves
moisture-holding capacity of soil in drier sites [114,163]. Studies indicate that sideoats grama
generally increases after fire on relatively mesic prairie sites [25,53,190,199,228] but

shows a short-term decrease following fire on more arid grasslands of
the Southwest [1,21,33,220]. Burning every 4 to 5 years appears to benefit
sideoats grama more than more frequent burning [38,175].

More info on this topic.

More info for the terms: geophyte, hemicryptophyte

RAUNKIAER [170] LIFE
FORM:




Hemicryptophyte

Geophyte

More info for the term: cover

Sideoats grama is widely distributed across the plains, prairies, and
lower mountains of much of North America [42,93].
It grows on a wide variety of landforms and habitats, but is most abundant and
important in the central and southern mixed-grass prairies [214].

Elevation: Sideoats grama occurs at a wide elevational range that varies
with location.  In the southwestern United States, it is found from 3,000 to 8,000 feet (914-2,440 m)
elevation [205]. Ranges are similar for both varieties. Bouteloua
curtipendula var. curtipendula occurs at elevations of from less than
328 feet (100 m) in southern Texas to over 8,200 feet (2,500 m) in the
northwestern United States. Bouteloua curtipendula var. caespitosa occurs
from 650 to 8,200
feet (200-2,500 m) [77]. The following table provides a summary of the elevational
ranges for sideoats grama:

AZ below 2,500 feet to 7,500 feet (760-2,130 m) [96,197]
CA below 6,230 feet (1,900 m) [91]
CO 3,500 to 7,500 feet (1,070-2,130 m) [84]
NM 5,500 to 7,500 feet (1,680-2,130 m) [128]
SD 1,265 to 1,493 feet (386-455 m) [94]
UT 3,215 to 8,000 feet (980-2,440 m) [217]

Climate/moisture regime:
Sideoats grama grows under a wide variety of
climate conditions. A study of establishment of seeded-in grasses in pinyon-juniper
woodlands in Arizona and New Mexico found sideoats grama was adapted
to warm-moist and hot-dry sites, but not cold, cool, warm-dry, or hot-moist sites [100].
A study of water-use
of plains grasses suggests sideoats grama requires a fairly large supply of
water for limited periods. Sideoats grama showed inefficient water-use relative to other plains grasses,
especially in cold weather [131]. According
to Fulbright and others [68], sideoats grama has a low soil moisture
requirement, but requires at least 15 inches (380 mm) of annual precipitation.
Story [192] reported good stands of sideoats grama developed in areas with
12 to 16 inches (305-406 mm) of annual rainfall in the Southwest. In the central Great Plains, stand development of sideoats
grama was greatest on fine-textured upland soils with 17 to 20 inches (432-508
mm) of annual rainfall. On Wisconsin prairie and savannas, sideoats grama occurs
on sites characterized by cyclic mild to severe summer drought, less
than 45 inches (1140 mm) annual snowfall,
and a mean summer temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 °C) [27].

Soils/landform:
Sideoats grama is adapted to a broad spectrum of
soils, from sands to clays [86,212]. It is
least adapted to loose sand and dense clay, and has best stand development on
medium to fine-textured soils [212]. Sideoats grama grows on shallow to deep
soils. It does not grow well on wet soils, although it is moderately tolerant
of spring flooding [186]. In the Intermountain
West, sideoats grama grows well on sandy loam to clay loam [50]. In North Dakota it
is found on shallow
soils with textures ranging from loamy sands through loams and silt loams to silty clay loams
[224]. Sideoats grama is an important component of grasslands on clay
soils in the northern Great Plains [70] and on loess soils in the
central Great Plains [204]. In Kansas shortgrass prairie
sideoats grama grows on fine-textured, silty clay loams, especially in
areas with deep soils [3]. Bush and Van Auken [34] reported sideoats grama aboveground, belowground,
and total dry mass increased with
increasing soil depth of  up to 71 inches (180 cm).

Sideoats grama has weak to moderate tolerance to saline soils [212] but does well on calcareous
or alkaline soils [68,122,140]. It often occurs on shallow limestone
or dolomite soils [142] and on soils high in available
nitrate. Sideoats grama is associated with moderate
levels of soil water stress relative to other grama species [154]. In mixed-grass prairie of northern
Wyoming and southern Montana, it
occurs on shallow soils with low water-holding capacity and high infiltration
rate, and does well with relatively high growing season precipitation and no
available groundwater [110].

Studies in Texas provide information about the soil requirements of the
different varieties of sideoats grama. Bouteloua curtipendula var. curtipendula grows
mostly on loose, limey soils and on relatively good soils in less disturbed
areas including native Texas prairies [49], while B. curtipendula var.
caespitosa has higher cover on soils with higher clay content, pH, and
organic matter [48]. However, according to Gould [77], Bouteloua curtipendula
var. curtipendula grows best on loamy, well-drained soils, while B. curtipendula var. caespitosa
is usually found on loose, sandy or rocky, well-drained limey soils.

Sideoats grama is well-adapted to steep, rocky slopes [50,122,154,205]. In Illinois sideoats grama
is found in coarse soil on limestone outcrops [7,20,193]. It occurs on shale barrens
in West Virginia [193]. Sideoats grama is common in
washes and on low benches [20]. In the Southwest it grows on south- to west-facing slopes, dry hills, and mesas [105,128,197].

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

More info for the term: cover

SAF COVER TYPES [61]:





42 Bur oak

46 Eastern redcedar

66 Ashe juniper-redberry (Pinchot) juniper

67 Mohrs (shin) oak

68 Mesquite

236 Bur oak

237 Interior ponderosa pine

239 Pinyon-juniper

240 Arizona cypress

242 Mesquite

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

More info for the term: shrub

ECOSYSTEMS [69]:





FRES15 Oak-hickory

FRES21 Ponderosa pine

FRES30 Desert shrub

FRES31 Shinnery

FRES32 Texas savanna

FRES33 Southwestern shrubsteppe

FRES34 Chaparral-mountain shrub

FRES35 Pinyon-juniper

FRES38 Plains grasslands

FRES39 Prairie

FRES40 Desert grasslands

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the terms: forest, woodland

KUCHLER [115] PLANT ASSOCIATIONS:





K016 Eastern ponderosa forest

K017 Black Hills pine forest

K023 Juniper-pinyon woodland

K031 Oak-juniper woodland

K032 Transition between K031 and K037

K037 Mountain-mahogany-oak scrub

K053 Grama-galleta steppe

K054 Grama-tobosa prairie

K058 Grama-tobosa shrubsteppe

K060 Mesquite savanna

K065 Grama-buffalo grass

K067 Wheatgrass-bluestem-needlegrass

K068 Wheatgrass-grama-buffalo grass

K069 Bluestem-grama prairie

K070 Sandsage-bluestem prairie

K071 Shinnery

K074 Bluestem prairie

K075 Nebraska Sandhills

K076 Blackland prairie

K081 Oak savanna

K083 Cedar glades

K084 Cross Timbers

K085 Mesquite-buffalo grass

K086 Juniper-oak savanna

K087 Mesquite-oak savanna

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in association with the following Rangeland Cover Types (as classified by the Society for Range Management, SRM):

More info for the terms: association, cover, shrub, vine, woodland

SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES [187]:





415 Curlleaf mountain-mahogany

416 True mountain-mahogany

417 Littleleaf mountain-mahogany

502 Grama-galleta

503 Arizona chaparral

504 Juniper-pinyon pine woodland

505 Grama-tobosa shrub

509 Transition between oak-juniper woodland and mahogany-oak association

601 Bluestem prairie

602 Bluestem-prairie sandreed

604 Bluestem-grama prairie

609 Wheatgrass-grama

611 Blue grama-buffalo grass

702 Black grama-alkali sacaton

703 Black grama-sideoats grama

704 Blue grama-western wheatgrass

705 Blue grama-galleta

706 Blue grama-sideoats grama

707 Blue grama-sideoats grama-black grama

708 Bluestem-dropseed

709 Bluestem-grama

710 Bluestem prairie

711 Bluestem-sacahuista prairie

712 Galleta-alkali sacaton

713 Grama-muhly-threeawn

714 Grama-bluestem

715 Grama-buffalo grass

716 Grama-feathergrass

717 Little bluestem-Indiangrass-Texas wintergrass

718 Mesquite-grama

720 Sand bluestem-little bluestem (dunes)

721 Sand bluestem-little bluestem (plains)

724 Sideoats grama-New Mexico feathergrass-winterfat

725 Vine mesquite-alkali sacaton

727 Mesquite-buffalo grass

728 Mesquite-granjeno-acacia

729 Mesquite

731 Cross timbers-Oklahoma

732 Cross timbers-Texas (little bluestem-post oak)

733 Juniper-oak

734 Mesquite-oak

735 Sideoats grama-sumac-juniper

801 Savanna

802 Missouri prairie

803 Missouri glades

Fire generally top-kills sideoats grama [227]. Further information concerning
the immediate effects of fire on sideoats grama is sparse.

More info for the terms: cool-season, cover, fresh, warm-season

Sideoats grama is highly productive, providing valuable forage for all classes of
livestock and wildlife [86]. It is good winter and
summer forage [205]. In some areas sideoats grama is an important
summer food when cool-season grasses are dormant [221]. In Arizona it maintains
relatively high forage value throughout the year. It
provides forage earlier in the spring than the other gramas, remains green later
in the fall, and cures well [96].

Palatability/nutritional value:
Sideoats grama is highly palatable and nutritious, and is readily eaten
by all classes of livestock [186]. Leaves are more palatable than stems and
are generally
consumed 1st [205]. Sideoats grama is highly palatable to livestock during late spring and summer,
and provides fair forage value when mature [212]. It is
highly palatable while green and is consumed
throughout the growing season, including early spring (if spring rains occur) [205].
In Nebraska it is grazed mostly in late summer and fall, and remains moderately
palatable into winter [194].

The following table provides a summary of forage use of sideoats grama by
livestock and wildlife:

Livestock or
wildlife species
Forage
value and season of use
Location
Cattle

good

AZ, CO, MT, ND, OK, TX, WY
[15,50,58,96]
Horses
good
CO, MT, ND, WY [50]
Domestic goats
used
Mexico [125]
Domestic sheep

good

CO, MT, ND, WY [50]
Mule deer
relatively low use,
March-July; light use all seasons
AZ, CO [8,110,116]
White-tailed deer
relatively low use; measured
March-July
AZ [8]
Pronghorn
good; used all seasons
TX [32]
Small mammals
seeds and seedheads used
KS [63,157,186]
Songbirds

seeds and seedheads used
location not specified
[157,186]

Studies report varying results for the nutritional value of sideoats grama.
Sideoats grama has fair energy value and fair protein value but poor food
value for mule deer, white-tailed deer, and pronghorn in North Dakota [50]. It
is moderately valuable winter forage in the southern Great Plains, but nutrient
value is too low to be one of the outstanding warm-season forage grasses in the region [182]. Newell and Moline
[153] reported sideoats grama provided high-quality forage
from May through October, as indicated by crude protein content. However,
according to a study in Texas, protein content was ranked "good" in samples
taken in the early
growth stage and "deficient" for mature growth. Protein was considered
deficient in 60% of sideoats grama samples. Sideoats grama was "deficient" and
"very deficient" for phosphoric acid in the young and mature growth stages,
respectively [66].  In samples from Arizona, crude protein content of
sideoats grama varied seasonally from 2.66% to 6.23%, with the highest levels in
May to June [185]. Crude protein content was also highest in May and June in
both standing biomass and 30-day-old regrowth for 'El  Reno' sideoats grama
from 3 sites in Texas. Crude protein content values for sideoats grama ranged from 1.9%
to 13.2%, and varied among sites and seasons. In-vitro digestible organic matter
was also generally highest in May and June at all 3 sites [127]. Protein content
of dormant sideoats grama from an arid New Mexico range was 3.7%.
Sideoats grama was low in many other nutrients compared to other species
[149]. The table below summarizes nutritional content of sideoats grama forage,
expressed as percentage of dry matter [147]:

  Fresh, immature Fresh, mid-bloom Fresh, full bloom Fresh, mature Fresh, overripe Fresh, early leaf (without lower stems) Fresh, mid-bloom (w/o lower stems) Fresh, dormant (w/o lower stems)
Ash 12.7 14.6 13.6 13.8 11.9 11.1 9.6 10.3
Crude fiber 28.4 28.9 30.8 31.4 34.4 30.3 32.7 32.8
Ether extract 2.0 1.9 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.8 1.7 1.4
N-free extract 45.3 46.2 46.8 48.4 49.1 51.0 50.4 51.8
Protein (NÃ6.25) 11.6 8.4 7.1 4.7 3.0 5.7 5.6 3.8
  Cattle-digestible protein 7.8 5.0 3.9 1.9 0.4 2.8 2.7 1.1
  Horses-dig. protein 7.4 4.7 3.6 1.4 0.1 2.4 2.3 0.7
  Domestic goats-dig. protein 7.4 4.4 3.2 0.9 -0.5 1.9 1.8 0.1
  Domestic sheep-dig. protein 7.8 4.8 3.6 1.4 -0.1 2.3 2.2 0.5
  Domestic rabbits--dig. protein 7.6 5.2 4.2 2.3 1.0 3.1 3.0 1.6
Ca 0.66 0.70 0.51 0.36 0.22 0.38 0.28 0.24
P 0.18 0.12 0.10 0.08 0.07 0.12 0.12 0.07
K ---- ---- ---- 0.35 ---- ---- ---- ----
Mg ---- ---- ---- 0.12 ---- ---- ---- ----

On plots treated with annual spring burning and application of 2.2 kg/ha
tebuthiuron, crude protein content and percent digestibility of sideoats grama
increased from the 1st year of treatment to the 2nd year. Pretreatment data were limited, but showed lower nutritional value of
grasses prior to treatment. For both years of treatment, crude protein and
percent digestibility of sideoats grama were highest in May and declined steadily throughout the
sampling season, to mid-September [23].

Sideoats grama is sometimes used for hay in southwestern and prairie states
[15,105,193,201,225]. According to Williams [225], livestock eat the coarse leaves more readily dry
than when leaves are fresh.

Cover value:
Sideoats grama provides excellent nesting cover for a variety of
songbirds and is readily used by a variety of small mammals [157]. Sideoats grama is sometimes seeded for game bird
habitat improvement, and is recommended in grass mixes to provide cover for nesting
lesser prairie-chickens [151,184]. Sideoats grama provides
good cover for quail species [184] and is sometimes planted for scaled quail habitat improvement [31].
It is listed as a component of prime sharp-tailed grouse habitat [151]. Sideoats
grama provides good habitat for black-tailed jackrabbit
and eastern cottontail on Kansas prairies [29]. It is a component of open grasslands preferred by mountain
sheep [60]. In Arizona, areas used by mountain sheep had a
significantly greater (p < 0.05) cover of sideoats grama, and a greater proportion of grass
cover overall, than areas mountain sheep did not use.

More info for the term: hardwood

Sideoats grama generally occurs in dry woods in the eastern United States and in
dry prairies and sandhills in the western states [73].
It is a major species in grasslands of the Great Plains, including tallgrass
prairie [113,174], mixed-grass prairie and shortgrass steppe [110,118], and in desert grasslands of the
Southwest [222]. Sideoats grama
is also found in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests, eastern hardwood
savannas [195],  southwestern oak (Quercus
spp.) and pinyon-juniper (Pinus-Juniperus spp.) woodlands and
savannas [112,165], and desert and semidesert
shrublands [102]. Sideoats grama is commonly associated with bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata),
western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii), little bluestem (Schizachyrium
scoparium), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii var. gerardii),
Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis), prairie Junegrass (Koeleria
macrantha), blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), black greasewood (Sarcobatus
vermiculatus), true mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus),
southwestern oaks, Colorado pinyon pine (Pinus edulis),
and several juniper species including redberry juniper (Juniperus pinchotii),
eastern redcedar (J. virginiana), oneseed juniper (J.
monosperma), Ashe juniper (J. ashei), alligator juniper (J.
deppeana), and Utah juniper (J.
osteosperma) [112,117,165].

The following list of publications includes selected classifications listing
sideoats grama as an indicator or dominant species in vegetation classifications.

AZ [12,117,197,211]

CO [11,81]

IA [207]

IN [17]

KS [120]

MO [150]

MT [30,80,179]

NB [167]

ND [82,143,223,224]

NM [12,54,56,92,117,137,166,197]

OH [74]

SD [94,200]

TX [89,132,198]

WI [43]

WY [37,94]

More info for the term: graminoid

Graminoid

More info for the terms: association, competition, cover, forbs, frequency, litter, mesic, seed, shrubs, tree, woodland

Herbicides and fertilizer treatments:
Reaction of sideoats grama to
herbicide treatments varies with the herbicide and stage of phenological development. Sideoats grama had good to
excellent tolerance to imazethapyr
applied either pre- or postemergence [14]. Application of 2,4-D favored establishment of sideoats grama
on an upland site seeded with native grasses and treated with 2,4-D, atrazine, and mowing
[26]. In a study of the effects of clopyralid, picloram,
triclopyr, and 2,4,5-T, development of sideoats grama seedlings was reduced as
rate of herbicide application increased [95]. Clopyralid had minimal effect at
application rates of 0.98 lb/ac (1.1kg/ha) and less, but the other 3 herbicides caused
more damage as application rate increased. Triclopyr and 2,4,5-T
had detrimental effects at 0.98 lb/ac (1.1kg/ha) or higher, and picloram caused increasingly
negative effects on growth at 1.96 lb/ac (2.2 kg/ha) and higher.

Application of fertilizer
may increase sideoats grama production. Application of nitrogen and nitrogen+phosphorus fertilizer increased
herbage production of sideoats grama
relative to the control on 3 different soil types in which laboratory
specimens were grown [99]. On a loamy upland site in south-central New Mexico, cover of sideoats grama increased over
4 years with annual June application of nitrogen [57].

Competition:
Light competition from trees may have detrimental effects on
sideoats grama stands. Sideoats grama increased after cabling of Colorado pinyon-oneseed
juniper woodland in south-central New Mexico [183]. After trees, shrubs, and forbs in another pinyon-juniper
woodland were killed, herbage production for sideoats grama increased from 5 kg/ha 1 year after
treatment to 155 kg/ha 3 years after treatment [36]. In eastern Nebraska native
little bluestem prairie, cover
of sideoats grama was lowest in shaded
plots under eastern redcedar, compared to plots
in open sites and at the edge of tree crowns [71]. In contrast, McPherson and
Wright [136] found cover of sideoats grama increased
with increased canopy cover of redberry juniper on
both ungrazed and formerly grazed sites, even though overall grass production
decreased with greater canopy cover. In another study sideoats grama increased on plots where redberry
juniper was controlled with picloram [176].

Sideoats grama can reduce the success of other species. Sideoats grama in dense stands may reduce
honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) seedling
establishment [34]. Sideoats grama reduced dry mass of honey mesquite
when the 2 species were planted at the same time or when sideoats grama was already
established. Similarly, sideoats grama caused a decrease in the dry weight of
smooth hawthorn (Crataegus
laevigata) and sweet acacia (Acacia smallii) when planted with
those species [208].

Extracts from Utah juniper foliage and litter suppress growth of sideoats grama seedlings [100].
In grasslands, sideoats grama may be reduced by competition from taller prairie grasses more
adapted to mesic sites, declining in cover or disappearing from mesic
sites within a few years [46]. Sideoats grama may have lower yield where planted with
tallgrass species, as taller grasses can outcompete sideoats grama [130].

Response to grazing pressure:
Sideoats grama is often considered an
increaser under grazing [6,90,113,162]; however, sideoats
grama often decreases under grazing on arid western ranges [20,24]. Tomanek and Albertson [203]
report sideoats grama both
decreased and increased under grazing, depending on site characteristics and
grazing pressure. Sideoats grama often increases under grazing in tallgrass
prairies [90,162]. When growing in association with little bluestem and blue
grama, sideoats grama often increases with
heavy grazing pressure but may be replaced
by blue grama or forbs [102]. In Nebraska sideoats
grama increases under heavy grazing on favorable, wetter sites, but
does not do well under prolonged heavy grazing [194]. Sideoats grama may increase under grazing due to
reduced competition by other
grasses. Percent species composition of sideoats grama declined from 11.54% to 1.12%
after 17 years of protection from grazing on a mixed-grass prairie in Nebraska
[146]. On native prairie site in Kansas, a decrease in competition due to
drought caused an increase in relative cover and
seed production of sideoats grama until other grasses recovered [41]. Sideoats
grama is most abundant on
steep slopes not easily accessible to cattle, and is increasing on some western
ranges protected from grazing [20,67]. Bolander [24] states sideoats grama
is common in areas of Arizona chaparral that have not been overgrazed, but is
replaced by other grasses in heavily grazed areas. Similarly, cover of sideoats grama in semiarid grasslands
of the Edwards Plateau in Texas has been
reduced by prolonged overgrazing [109].

Fire affects the response of sideoats grama to grazing. Sideoats grama increased in early spring-burned pastures
where fire essentially eliminated Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), increasing grazing
pressure on sideoats grama [162]. Sideoats grama increased in cover and frequency in response to
bison grazing at stocking rates of 9 ha/AU
to 5 ha/AU [85]; the difference between grazed and ungrazed plots was significant (p < 0.1) on
tallgrass prairie sites burned every 4 years but was not significant on plots
burned annually. On season-long grazed sites, moderately stocked (3.3 ac/head)
with cattle, sideoats grama represented a greater proportion of vegetation composition on
spring-burned plots than on unburned plots monitored from
1950 to 1967 [119]. Sideoats grama significantly (p< 0.05) increased in percent
species composition 4 years after fire on sites under season-long
continuous grazing and fertilized with 80 lb/ac (90 kg/ha) nitrogen, but decreased
(though change not significant at p = 0.05) on unburned, grazed plots fertilized at 80 lb/ac nitrogen [119]. For more information about the response of sideoats grama to
fire, see Fire Effects.

Several studies have investigated the effects of grazing and mowing on
sideoats grama [139,161,171]. Clipping reduces aboveground and belowground dry
mass [139], and can increase stands of sideoats grama if clipped herbage is
removed from the ground [161]. Clipping sideoats grama at a high
frequency and a high intensity (to 3 inches (8 cm) every 3 weeks) severely reduced
plant vigor compared to lighter, less frequent clipping (to 6 inches (15 cm) every 6
weeks) [171]. Reardon and others [171] caution against using clipping
as a direct surrogate for studying grazing response, reporting that regrowth
of sideoats grama was greater after grazing by domestic sheep, goats , or cattle than clipping to the
same height as grazed plants.

AL AZ AR CA CO CT FL GA HI
ID IL IA KS KY LA ME MD MI
MN MS MO MT NE NV NJ NM NY
ND OH OK OR PA SC SD TN TX
UT VA WA WV WI WY DC


MB ON SK


MEXICO

Native Americans used bundled dried sideoats grama stems for brooms and brushes
[174]

More info on this topic.

More info for the terms: formation, natural, phenology, root crown, seed, warm-season

Sideoats grama starts growth in mid-spring, and generally flowers between July
and September [212]. In native tallgrass prairie in central Oklahoma, anthesis occurs from July to September,
seedlings sprout in November and
December and in March and April, and seed formation and dissemination occur
from July through November [2].
The growing period for sideoats grama in the southern Great Plains is April
through October [182]. In Wisconsin, root crown growth occurred from early
April through mid-July, then again from early to mid-August. Production of secondary and
tertiary shoots occurred from mid-March through late October, and anthesis occurred
from mid-July to mid-August [148].
Production of shoots slowed during flower production but did not cease at any
time during the growing season. In general, sideoats grama flowers from April to
October [105]. Flowering dates for sideoats grama vary with location, and are summarized in the following table:

Location Beginning of Flowering End of flowering
OK June July [173]
IL, VA, WV, CO, WY July September [142,193,226]
CA April October [145]
NM May October [128]


Phenology differs due to variety and place of origin. Olson [160]
planted 4 cultivars of sideoats grama, and cultivars of other
warm-season grasses, in a common garden in Minnesota to study phenology of
grasses collected from locations throughout the Great Plains. Sideoats grams cultivars from North Dakota ('Kildeer')
and South Dakota ('Pierre') reached anthesis 21 to 28 days earlier than cultivars from Kansas ('Butte' and 'Trailway'). In clones grown from locations throughout the Great Plains,
flowering began earliest in plants from northern and western sites, and occurred
progressively later in plants originating in more southward and eastward sites
[133]. Flowering for northern clones was in late June, with the
earliest flowering in clones from northeastern Montana. A study by Olmsted [159]
also provides insight on the phenological variability of sideoats
grama from different locations. Olmsted tested the photoperiodic response of sideoats
grama from Texas, Oklahoma, and North
Dakota. He found the Texas strain grew and flowered vigorously in natural or
simulated 13-hour daylight. The Oklahoma strain flowered equally well and
rapidly with 13 to 14 hours of daylight, and the North Dakota strain grew and flowered
vigorously in 14- and 15-hour photoperiods. The photoperiodic responses of the
strains corresponded to flowering earlier in the year and during longer days for
more northern species, which may have been an adaptation in response to
northward expansion of sideoats grama in the past.

More info for the terms: competition, cover, density, fire frequency, fire severity, fire suppression, frequency, graminoid, grassland, herbaceous, litter, mesic, natural, seed, severity, wildfire

Sideoats grama recovers from burning by tillering and/or rhizomatous spread (in Bouteloua curtipendula var.
curtipendula), and by establishing from seed [196]. Awnless seeds may be carried by wind
[219] into burned areas for natural reestablishment, and the nutrient-rich
postfire environment may encourage mass flowering in postfire year 2 or 3 [88].

The response of sideoats grama to fire varies with growth form, fire
frequency and severity, season of burn, climatic conditions, and composition of
associated plant community. Fire generally favors the bunchgrass
variety, Bouteloua curtipendula var.
caespitosa. The rhizomatous variety of sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula var. curtipendula)
generally decreases after fire, particularly in dry years. It may require 3 or more years for full
recovery [228].  In wet years the rhizomatous variety
tolerates fire "reasonably well" [227]. Several studies have documented the response of sideoats grama to
fire. Results vary by study and are summarized below.

Sideoats grama appears to respond most favorably to fire at approximate 5-year intervals. In southeastern Arizona, Robinett and Barker [175] studied the response of
several grass species in areas subjected to different fire frequencies during the hot season (May through July).
Species composition on plots subjected to 1 fire, 2 or 3
fires, or 5 or 6 fires over 15 years was compared on sites with different soil
textures and other site characteristics. On the Loamy Hills and Granitic Hills
sites, sideoats grama had greatest percent
cover relative to other species on plots that were burned 3 times over the
15-year period, compared to sites burned only once or those burned 5 or 6 times
during that time. On the Sandy Loam
Upland site, frequency of sideoats grama was approximately 40% on the 1-burn
site and declined to less than 5% on sites subjected to 3 or 5 burns
in the 15-year period. Decadence of sideoats grama was observed on
sites burned only once. A similar trend in response
of sideoats grama to different fire frequencies was reported by Collins and others [38]
on the Konza Prairie in northeastern Kansas. Average cover
of sideoats grama was highest (4.9%) in plots burned every 4 years, compared
to 3.1% on plots burned annually and 1.6% on unburned ploys. However, sample
sizes were small (n = 2 or n = 3) and significance of differences in cover of sideoats grama was not reported.
Becker [13] found sideoats grama increased over 5 years on plots
burned annually at low to moderate severity on a blue grama-little bluestem prairie in southwestern
Minnesota.

Several studies indicate that site characteristics influence the response of sideoats grama to
fire. In the Molino Basin of southern Arizona, Caprio [35] compared
vegetation on unburned sites with sites burned in June 1983. He found
cover of sideoats grama increased following burning on south and east
slopes, but declined on the north slope. Fire severity was not
specified. Pemble and others [164] reported flowering of sideoats grama was stimulated by fire on a dry,
hilly, undisturbed prairie site, inhibited on a mesic, level, undisturbed site,
and showed no significant increase or decrease (p > 0.05) on a mesic, gently sloping to level  site.
Litter was almost completely consumed on dry hilly site, but
considerable litter remained in depressions on the wetter sites. Fire severity was not specified.
In 1937, Leopold [123] compared vegetation of Mexico and the United
States. He concluded that the Sierra Madre of Chihuahua, Mexico,
supported comparatively lush stands of sideoats grama because of frequent fires and light grazing.
Across the border, fire suppression and
overgrazing had already reduced sideoats grama cover in the
United States by that time.

Fire response of sideoats grama is partially dependent on the response of
competing species. Cover of sideoats grama decreased after burning treatments on a
big bluestem-porcupine grass (Hesperostipa spartea) tallgrass prairie in Iowa.

The site had been mowed prior to the
experiment, allowing sideoats grama to maintain an artificially high cover.
After burning
without follow-up mowing, the tall grasses provided more competition. In
contrast, sideoats grama increased or remained essentially the same on a loess
hills prairie site [25]. On a tallgrass
prairie site in Kansas, stem density of sideoats grama was reduced after 3 years
without burning on both deep- shallow-soil plots [53].

Burning prior to seeding can help establishment of sideoats grama. When used for revegetating
stands dominated by exotic Lehmann lovegrass (Eragrostis lehmanniana),
sideoats grama had higher seedling density after seeding on a burned plot than
on plots sprayed with herbicide prior to seeding, although the difference among
plots was only significant (p<0.05) for the late-season (August) planting in
1 year [18]. Reseeding of prescribed burned areas resulted in "especially good
establishment" of sideoats grama in Great Basin shrubsteppe area of
northwestern Arizona [19].

Several studies, most from the southwestern United States, have found
a short-term decrease in sideoats grama after burning. Cover of sideoats grama "decreased dramatically"
after a wildfire in a desert
mountain scrub community in Texas, determined by comparing vegetation on burned
and unburned plots at postfire year 2 [33]. Frequency of sideoats grama was less on 3-year-old burns
than on unburned sites in the Guadalupe Mountains of New Mexico. Fire severity was not
specified, but fuels were estimated at < 0.5
ton/acre for litter and cured grasses and 7 tons/acre for living
vegetation [1]. On Arizona range sites sideoats grama often declines in the season or year
immediately following burning but recovers in subsequent years [21,220].
This fire response was documented in an extensive of body of research on fire effects in semidesert grassland,
oak savanna, and Madrean oak woodlands of southeastern Arizona. See the Research Project Summary
of Bock and Bock's [21] work for more information on burning conditions, fires,
and fire effects on more than 100 species of
herbaceous and woody plants, birds, small mammals, and grasshoppers.

In some cases burning may have little or no
effect on sideoats grama. In a study in Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota,
Bock and Bock [22] measured plant height of several graminoid species before and after burning with
"relatively cool" surface fires.
Height of sideoats grama did not differ significantly (p < 0.05) in any year between
burned and unburned control plots. Sideoats grama showed no difference in flowering
response between burned and unburned stands in Wisconsin [51]. Fire severity
was not specified, but the 2.3-inch (5.8-cm) mulch layer was completely removed by the
fire.

Fire can increase nutritional value of sideoats grama. Iron, phosphorus,
and zinc concentration in sideoats grama increased with
increasing fire frequency, although trends in nutrient increase were not all
statistically analyzed. The effects of fire frequency on nutrient
concentrations in sideoats grama are summarized in the table below [158]:

Nutrient Concentrations
Consecutive years burned
0
1
2
3
4
K (%)
0.58
0.56
0.57
0.58
0.59
Ca (%)
0.36
0.29
0.34
0.3
0.34
Mg (%)
0.13
0.13
0.14
0.14
0.15
P (%)
0.05
0.10
0.10
0.08
0.08
Total N (%)
0.50
0.54
0.52
0.50
0.55
Zn (ppm)
17.9
23.0
25.0
26.1
25.0
Cu (ppm)
1.3
1.3
1.2
1.1
1.3
Fe (ppm)
22.9
25.5
29.4
33.7
38.9
Mn (ppm)
18.6
19.2
21.0
19.5
19.2


For more information about the
nutritional value of sideoats grama,
see Management Considerations.

More info for the terms: graminoid, herb, initial off-site colonizer, rhizome, secondary colonizer, seed, tussock

POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY [191]:




Rhizomatous herb, rhizome in soil

Tussock graminoid

Initial off-site colonizer (off-site, initial community)

Secondary colonizer (on-site or off-site seed sources)

More info for the terms: apomixis, caespitose, cover, density, forb, grassland, perfect, seed, shrubland, warm-season, woodland

Sideoats grama regenerates from seed, rhizomes, and tillering [196].

Breeding system:
Sideoats grama reproduces apomictically
or sexually [49]. Apomixis occurs in the southern range of sideoats grama, most commonly within
the range of Bouteloua curtipendula var. caespitosa. Sideoats
grama has perfect flowers [78] that cross pollinate [76].

Pollination:
In plants reproducing sexually, cross pollination is effected by wind [219].

Seed production:
Sideoats grama produces a "fair amount of seed of
rather low viability" [205] but seeds readily when adequate moisture is
available [214]. There are several cultivars of sideoats
grama (see Management Considerations) with
varying seed productivity.

Seed dispersal:
Awnless fruits suggest that sideoats grama seed is dispersed mainly by wind [49].

Seed banking:
Little direct information is available about seed
banking of sideoats grama, but several studies indicate that seed banking of
sideoats grama is minor, and varies with local conditions. A study
of seed banks in postsettlement vegetation communities in the Loess Hills of
Iowa found sideoats grama had low seed density (<25 seeds/m2) in the
seed bank of a shrubland site dominated by shrubby roughleaf dogwood (Cornus drummondii) and elm (Ulmus spp.), but moderate
seed density (25-100 seeds/m2) in a grassland site
dominated by Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) and smooth brome (Bromus
inermis) [178]. Seeds of sideoats grama were not encountered in the seed bank of a deciduous woodland
site dominated by tree-size roughleaf dogwood and elm.
Examination of Texas seed banks in plots managed with long-term (36-year) grazing Texas revealed seeds of
sideoats grama appeared to be transient and were not stored in seed banks.
Sideoats
grama was part of the historic vegetation: savanna dominated by
caespitose mid-grasses including sideoats grama, Texas tussockgrass (Nassella
leucotricha),
Texas cupgrass (Eriochloa sericea), and little bluestem, with associated
short grasses including curlymesquite (Hilaria belangeri) and hairy
woolygrass (Erioneuron pilosum), and scattered clumps or
individuals of oak (Quercus spp.) and Ashe juniper
[108]. Sideoats grama's cover was not
specified, although the authors did state late-seral mid-grasses had been
reduced by grazing. In a study testing seed viability in Kansas prairie
communities, soil samples taken from a mid-grass community dominated by sideoats
grama yielded only 2 sideoats grama germinants [124].

Seed dormancy can affect
timing of germination. Germination rate of sideoats grama seed from 148 sources ranged from 18% for the
most dormant seed to 96% for the least dormant [126]. Major and Wright [126]
found after the postharvest period, dormancy was completely broken in sideoats
grama seed when floral parts were removed from caryopses. Germination was highest for seed with the
heaviest caryopses, and fewer caryopses per gram. Dormancy may be
controlled by "coumarin-like" inhibitory compounds.

Germination:
A number of studies have
focused on germination requirements of sideoats grama. These studies reveal that
germination rates of sideoats grama vary with place of seed origin, as well as
with temperature regimes, moisture, and other conditions. Sideoats grama seed vigor is good
compared to seeds of other warm-season grasses [212]. When conditions are
favorable, germination is rapid; in 1 case sideoats grama showed 50% germination
within 22 hours [188]. Studies have
found differing results  for germination success rate. Halinar [79] reported germination
rates of 20 to 30% and 18 to 34% in
2 consecutive years. Other sources found 50 to 70% germination
[40,68]. Jordan and Haferkamp [103] found high sideoats grama germination success, ranking 3rd out of 19 warm-season grasses tested. Wasser
[212] stated most sideoats grama seed germinates within 7 days under ideal
field conditions. Light improves germination [40]. 

Heat affects rate and success of sideoats grama germination. Temperatures
between 50 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit (10 and 30 °C) are generally best for germination [68,181]. Sabo
and others [181] found a constant temperature of 73
degrees Fahrenheit (23 °C),
or alternating temperatures of 54 degrees Fahrenheit (12 °C) for 8 hours with 88
degrees Fahrenheit (31 °C) for 16 hours, gave best
germination of sideoats grama. Over 1 month, germination of seed collected in southeastern
Montana averaged 95% for treatments of 68 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit (20 to 30 °C).
Seeds required 1 to 3 days to achieve 50%
germination. Germination for the
low-temperature treatment of 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 °C) was only 60%, and
seeds required 15 days to attain 50% germination [59].
Jordan and Haferkamp [103] found the minimum
germination temperature for the 'NM-28' cultivar was 48 degrees Fahrenheit (8.9 °C).

Planting depth
also affects germination rate. Sideoats grama had the highest germination rate
(58%) at 1-inch planting
depth compared to 37% at 0.5 inch (12.7 mm),
10% at 2 inches, and 0% at 3 inches (76 mm) [28]. Germination of sideoats grama
is good under both dry and moist conditions [155]. Germination of sideoats grama
is "not greatly affected" by water stress down to 1 mP [181]. Qi and Redmann [168],
however,
found sideoats grama had a lower tolerance to water stress than was reported in
Sabo and others [181], with 1 of the lowest germination rates of the 6 grass species tested 
under water stress. 

Seedling establishment/growth: Seedling
vigor of sideoats grama is good to excellent [86,212]. In a study comparing
seedling growth, sideoats grama seedlings developed more quickly than most of the 44
prairie forb and grass species tested [155]. In the  greenhouse, tillering began 3 weeks after seeds of sideoats grama were planted,
and continued at a rapid rate [144]. Nine-week-old plants produced 20 to 40 stems and rhizomes. Temperature affected
seedling growth rate. Seedlings grew more rapidly at 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit (26.7 to
29.4 °C) than at 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit (15.5 to 18.3 °C)
[177]. Of 5 grass species tested for growth patterns, 'Coronado' sideoats grama
showed the most rapid shoot and root growth [47].

Sideoats grama seedlings are more drought tolerant than many other
warm-season grasses, although seedlings that are not well established can be
killed by a short drought period [65]. Dahl and others [44] found sideoats grama
was 1 of the easiest
species to establish in wet or dry years in Texas. Root length and root:shoot
ratio are important factors in survival rates of seedlings growing in
water-limited areas [188]. In a study by Simanton and
Jordan [188], sideoats grama had the highest root length,
shoot length, and root:shoot ratio compared to other warm-season grass species. Robocker and others [177]
reported sideoats grama has high root growth in relation to leaf development.

Asexual regeneration: Sideoats grama
reproduces asexually from rhizomes and tillers.
Rhizomes are the main form of reproduction in Bouteloua curtipendula var.
curtipendula [205].  The bunchgrass variety of sideoats grama (Bouteloua
curtipendula var. caespitosa) reproduces asexually from tillers.
Although rhizomatous, vegetative expansion of the 'El Reno' cultivar of sideoats grama studied in Colorado was primarily from
tillering. Rhizomes did not contribute significantly to new shoot production.
According to Sims and others [189] the 'El Reno' cultivar produced rhizomes mainly from reproductive
shoots and tillers mainly from vegetative shoots.

More info on this topic.

This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS [16]:





3 Southern Pacific Border

5 Columbia Plateau

6 Upper Basin and Range

7 Lower Basin and Range

8 Northern Rocky Mountains

9 Middle Rocky Mountains

10 Wyoming Basin

11 Southern Rocky Mountains

12 Colorado Plateau

13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont

14 Great Plains

15 Black Hills Uplift

16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands

More info on this topic.

More info for the terms: climax, codominant, cover, grassland, rhizome, secondary colonizer, succession

Sideoats grama occurs in all stages of succession. It is moderately shade tolerant [186], growing
in partial shade to full sun [36,136,183,212]. In ponderosa pine woodlands of
northwestern Nebraska, the importance of sideoats grama relative to other grass
species increases with increasing canopy cover, indicating that sideoats grama is relatively shade tolerant [202]. Bolander [24] found sideoats grama
in Arizona chaparral was moderately dense where the canopy was open and grazing
was not been
heavy. 

Sideoats grama can be a primary or secondary colonizer on burned areas. Seeds
are carried into burned sites by wind or produced by plants surviving fire [88]. Sideoats grama occurs in
early seral postfire communities [163] and increases on disturbed sites through
asexual regeneration or self-seeding [210,213]. Sideoats grama seeds more successfully on burned than unburned
sites [18,19], indicating it colonizes after disturbance by
fire. It may increase in cover immediately following fire [134,190], indicating it can
also spread by tillering or rhizome expansion. Leopold [123] described sideoats
grama communities maintained by frequent fires in areas relatively undisturbed
by grazing.

Sideoats grama is a climax indicator in arid grasslands throughout the
Southwest [163], and is a dominant or codominant species in late-seral
vegetation across much of the Great Plains [78]. Dodd and Holtz [52] list
sideoats grama as a dominant component in late-seral grassland vegetation on a
loam range site in southern Texas.

The scientific name of sideoats grama is Bouteloua curtipendula
(Michx.) Torr. (Poaceae) [49,73,78,91,104,105,128,217]. Recognized varieties are as follows
[73,78,104,217]:



Bouteloua curtipendula var. caespitosa Gould & Kapadia

B. curtipendula var. curtipendula (Michx.) Torr.

Most sources reviewed in this species summary do not distinguish between varieties, but pertain to areas within
the range of Bouteloua curtipendula var. curtipendula
(see Distribution and Occurrence).
Where information presented in this summary pertains to a particular variety,
the variety will be specified as either B. curtipendula var. curtipendula
or B. curtipendula var. caespitosa. 

More info for the terms: density, reclamation, seed

Sideoats grama establishes quickly and provides good erosion control
[186]. It is commonly seeded on southern plains ranges to reduce wind erosion,
reduce soil temperatures and evaporation, and help control weeds
[45]. Sideoats grama is very drought resistant [3,113,153,213],. Density and
vigor of sideoats grama stands may decrease during drought [194]; however, stand density
may increase, and sideoats grama expand by self-seeding, after drought [153].
Sideoats grama can increase rapidly on prairie damaged by extreme drought or overgrazing [213].

Seed weight
and seeding rate: Seed weight for sideoats grama is
170,000 seeds/lb [169] to 191,000 seeds/lb [44,192]. Range of pure live seed (PLS) per pound of bulk seed was
reported as 42,020 to 64,940 PLS/lb bulk [79]. Recommended seeding rate is 3 to 6 lbs PLS/ac
(3.3 to 6.7  kg/ha).
Seeding dates vary from April 1 to May 15 in the northern and central Great
Plains, January to April in the southern Great Plains and June 15 to July 15 for
Trans-Pecos Texas and the Southwest [192].

Sideoats grama is often included in native seed mixes for prairie reclamation
[5,78] and is widely used for reseeding
ranges [194]. Stubbendieck and others [194] recommend sideoats grama as a
component of native grass mixes in silty, clayey, and sandy sites throughout
Nebraska. Sideoats grama is used for revegetating coal surface-mined lands in the eastern
United States
[209], Iowa [55], eastern Montana [62], and other areas.  It
has been seeded successfully on iron ore for mine reclamation in Wisconsin [83]. 

Cultivars: Sideoats grama is commercially available [169]. Several improved cultivars of sideoats
grama have been developed including 'Vaughn' and 'Niner,' originating from western
areas of the Southwest [86], 'Trailway'  from Nebraska, 'Pierre'  from
South Dakota, 'Kildeer' from North Dakota, 'Premier' and 'Haskell' from
Texas, as well as 'EL Reno,' 'Butte,' and 'Native' [97,156,186]. Production and
timing of maturity of the individual cultivars vary by planting
site [97]. Improved cultivars are often used for reclamation. Of several cultivars
evaluated at a mine site in the Southwest, 'Vaughn' ranked best for both stand
density and vigor in all 3 study years, followed by 'NM-28' and 'El Reno'
[156].

Bouteloua curtipendula (Michx.) Torr. in Emory, Notes Mil Rec. 154. 1848.
Chloris curtipendula Michx. Fl. Bor. Am. I: 59. 1803. (Type from Illinois, Michaux.)
Bouteloua racemosa Lag. Var. Ci. 4: 141. 1805. (Type from Mexico.)
Atheropogon apludoides Muhl.; Willd. Sp. PI. 4: 937. 1806. (Type from North America.)
Dineba curtipendula Beauv. Agrost. 98, 158, 160. 1812. (Presumably based on Chloris curtipendula
Michx.) Cynosurus secundus Pursh, Fl. Am. Sept. 728. 1814. (Type from "Upper Louisiana" (northern
Middle Western States], Bradbury.) Atheropogon racemosus R. & S. Syst. Veg. 2: 414. 1817. (Based on Bouteloua racemosa Lag.) Dineba secunda R. & S. Syst. Veg. 2: 711. 1817. (Ba.sed on Cynosurus secundus Pursh.) Eutriana curtipendula Trin. Fund. Agrost. 161. 1820. (Based on Chloris curtipendula Michx.) Melica curtipendula Michx.; St eud. Nom. Bot. Phan. 1 : 91, 519, as synonym ol Atheropogon apludoides
Muhl. 1821. Cynodon curtipendula Rasp. Ann. Sci. Nat. 5: 303. 1825. (Based on Dineba curtipendula Beauv.) Cynodon melicoides Rasp. Ann. Sci. Nat. 5: 303. 1825. (Based on Bouteloua melicoides Beauv.) Andropogon curti pendulus Spreng. ; Steud. Nom. Bot . ed. 2.1: 90, as synonym of Eutriana curtipendula
Trin. 1840. Eutriana affinis Hook. f. Trans. Linn. Soc. 20: 174. 1847. (Localities cited, St. Louis, Missouri;
Texas, Drummond.) Bouteloua curtipendula var. aristosa A. Gray, Man. ed. 2. 553. 1856. (Type locality, Illinois,
Geyer.) Erucaria glabra Cerv. Naturaleza 1: 3S0. 1870. (Mexico.) Atheropogon acuminatus Foum. Mex. PI. Gram. 2: 139. 1886. (Type from Mirador, Mexico,
Liebmann 583.) Atheropogon curtipendulus Foum. Mex. PI. Gram. 2: 138. 1886. (Baised on Bouteloua curtipendula
A. Gray (error for Torrey].) Atheropogon medius Foum. Mex. PI. Gram. 2: 139. 1886. (Type from Mexico, Liebmann 581.) Atheropogon affinis Fourn. Mex. PI. Gram. 2: 141. 1886. (Based on Eutriana affmis Hook, f.) Bouteloua racemosa var. aristosa Wats. & Coult.; in A. Gray. Man. ed. 6. 656. 1890. (Type from
Illinois, Geyer.) Bouteloua acuminata D. Grid. Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 14: 406. 1912. (Based on Atheropogon
acuminatus Fourn.)
Perennial; culms erect from short rhizomes, 30 cm. to more than a meter tall; sheaths mostly shorter than the internodes, rounded, glabrous or sparsely papillose-pilose, more or less pilose at the throat; ligule 0.5 mm. long, ciliate; blades as much as 25 cm. long, 2-5 mm. wide, flat, attenuate, scabrous, especially on the margins, the upper surface sometimes pilose; spikes mostly 20-40, 0.5-2 cm. long, spreading or reflexed, falling entire; spikelets crowded, apprcs.sed or somewhat spreading; first glume about 4 mm. long, narrow, acuminate, scabrous on the keel; second glume 6-8 mm. long, much broader than the first, acute, scabrous; lenmia 5-6 mm. long, glabrous or sparsely pilose, the tip 3-toothed; rudiment from nearly obsolete to as much as 5 mm. long and rather broad, awned from between the teeth of the bifid apex, the awn mostly 3-6 mm. long, the lateral nerves excurrent in slender awns, from minute to 4 mm. long, often enclosing a second very small rudiment; spikelets in the upper spikes smaller, the rudiment inconspicuous or nearly obsolete.
TypB locality: Illinois.
Distribution: Open prairies and rocky hills, Maine and Ontario to Montana, and southward to Maryland, Alabama, Texas, and Salvador.

Perennials, Terrestrial, not aquatic, Rhizomes present, Rhizome short and compact, stems close, Rhizome elongate, creeping, stems distant, Stems nodes swollen or brittle, Stems erect or ascending, Stems geniculate, decumbent, or lax, sometimes rooting at nodes, Stems solitary, Stems terete, round in cross section, or polygonal, Stem internodes hollow, Stems with inflorescence less than 1 m tall, Stems, culms, or scapes exceeding basal leaves, Leaves mostly basal, below middle of stem, Leaves conspicuously 2-ranked, distichous, Leaves sheathing at base, Leaf sheath mostly open, or l oose, Leaf sheath smooth, glabrous, Leaf sheath hairy at summit, throat, or collar, Leaf sheath and blade differentiated, Leaf blades linear, Leaf blades 2-10 mm wide, Leaf blades mostly flat, Leaf blade margins folded, involute, or conduplicate, Leaf blades mostly glabrous, Ligule present, Ligule a fringed, ciliate, or lobed membrane, Inflorescence terminal, Inflorescence with 2 or more spikes, fascicles, glomerules, heads, or clusters per culm, Inflorescence a panicle with narrowly racemose or spicate branches, Inflorescence branches more than 10 to numerous, Inflorescence branches 1-sided, Flowers bisexual, Spikelets sessile or subsessile, Spikelets laterally compressed, Spikelet less than 3 mm wide, Spikelets with 1 fertile floret, Spikelets solitary at rachis nodes, Spikelets all alike and fertille, Spikelets bisexual, Inflorescence branches deciduous, falling intact, Spikelets secund, in rows on one side of rachis, Rachilla or pedicel glabrous, Glumes present, empty br acts, Glumes 2 clearly present, Glumes distinctly unequal, Glumes equal to or longer than adjacent lemma, Glume equal to or longer than spikelet, Glumes 1 nerved, Lemma coriaceous, firmer or thicker in texture than the glumes, Lemma 3 nerved, Lemma glabrous, Lemma rugose, with cross wrinkles, or roughened, Lemma apex dentate, 2-fid, Lemma apex dentate, 3-5 fid, Lemma teeth unequal. central tooth longer, Lemma awnless, Lemma mucronate, very shortly beaked or awned, less than 1-2 mm, Lemma with 3 awns, Lemma awn less than 1 cm long, Lemma margins thin, lying flat, Lemma straight, Palea present, well developed, Palea membranous, hyaline, Palea shorter than lemma, Palea 2 nerved or 2 keeled, Stamens 3, Styles 2-fid, deeply 2-branched, Stigmas 2, Fruit - caryopsis, Caryopsis ellipsoid, longitudinally grooved, hilum long-linear.

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 curtus "shortened" and pendulus "hanging".