Blue gramma is a small warm-season ornamental grass in the Poaceae (grass) family. It is native to the central region of North America. The genus name Bouteloua comes from Spanish botanists Exteban and Claudius Boutelou, and the species epithet gracilis is Latin for graceful. It forms a dense clump reaching a height of 15 inches tall. Plant this grass in the full sun and it will tolerate a wide range of soils poor and dry soils as long as they have good drainage. The leaves are bright green to blue gray, and its summer flower heads are charming and work well in dried arrangements. This grass can also be mowed to a height of 2 inches tall and used as a lawn alternative for areas that get light foot traffic. This grass self-seeds easily and turns attractive shades of brown, orange, and red in the fall. Use this delicate grass in small groups in a rock garden, drought tolerant garden, naturalized area, or meadow. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.