Description

Key Information:

Soil: Mesic (Medium) – Xeric (Dry)
Sun: Full Sun – Part Sun (Prairie or Savanna)
Height: 2-3 feet
Type: Warm-season, perennial grass.
*Salt Tolerant*

More Detail:

Suggested Uses: Side-Oats Grama has a very interesting inflorescence that hangs down along one side of the flower stalk. Makes for a nice addition to the fresh-cut or dried bouquet in early fall!  This grass is often used in upland native grass seed mixes. It has short rhizomes that eventually fill in around the many other bunchgrasses found on the prairie. This grass grows well on deep soils and in sand or gravel.  It is a very good choice for upland areas of a shoreline restoration project! Deer resistant.

Native Range: Native throughout the U.S. but most common throughout the Great Plains.

Wildlife Uses: Deer and antelope eat it in the summer when it is green but they will not seek it out in your yard. Birds love to eat its ripe seeds. It is the host plant for several species of skipper butterflies, including the federally threatened Dakota Skipper (Hesperia dacotae) and the federally endangered Poweshiek Skipperling (Oarisma poweshiek).

Crop Uses: One of the most important forage grasses, it appears earlier and stays green in the fall longer than other Grama grasses.

More Info: Side-oats Grama can be effective at erosion control if combined with other species.

More Information: USDA plant profile