Bouteloua gracilis
| Bouteloua gracilis | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Bouteloua gracilis (common name: blue grama)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Only just cover the seed. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle and grow on for at least the first winter in a greenhouse. Plant out in early summer.
Division.
Cultivation: Easily grown in full sun on any well-drained garden soil[1]. Prefers a near-neutral or lime-free soil[1].
This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c[1].
All members of this genus use the method of photosynthesis knwn as C4. This allows for the more effective capture of carbon dioxide and thus less water loss through transpiration since the stomata do not have to be open for transpiration. This is an advantage in the arid environments where these plants are usually found[2].
Range: Southern N. America - Wisconsin to North Dakota, south to Arizona and Mexico.
Habitat: Deserts and prairies[3][4].
Edibility: Seed - raw or cooked[5]. It can be ground into a powder, mixed with water and eaten as a mush, often with corn meal[5]. It is also used to make bread[5].
Medicinal: The chewed roots have been applied to cuts[5].
A decoction of the whole plant has been used as a post-partum medicine[5].
Usage: The grass is sometimes used in the fill of coiled basketry[3][5].
The stems can be used as a comb and broom material[5]. The blades can be bundled by a cord and the stiff end used as a hair comb whilst the other end can be used as a broom[5].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: B. oligostachya.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Diggs, George and Barney Lipscomb. Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas. Botanical Research Institute, 1999.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Whiting, Alfred. Ethnobotany of the Hopi. North Arizona Society of Science and Art, 1939.
- ↑ Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.