Life History and Habits of Blue Grama

INTRODUCTION Blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) has long been held in high esteem as a forage grass by stockmen of the Great Plains Region of the United States. It is a nourishing feed and is eaten with relish by all grazing animals. Recently blue grama has gained much favor as a native grass for reseeding abandoned farm land and severely depleted pastures of the Great Plains states. The seed is readily harvested on a large scale and the species is adapted to a wide range of soils and climatic conditions. Because of its importance as a perennial forage plant of the native prairie, its resistance to drought, its tolerance to grazing, and its successful use in revegetation, a better knowledge of the life and habits of blue grama is desirable. This study of the life history and habits of blue grama has been undertaken to add to the store of information regarding this grass and to assist in developing a better understanding of its growth behavior in the field. RELATED STUDIES The life histories of the native grasses of the Great Plains Region and other areas have not received much attention until recently. With the activity of the Soil Conservation Service in searching for suitable grasses for soil erosion control and revegetation purposes some of the species have been studied to determine conditions best for their growth. Percival (10) in his classical work with the wheat plant made a close study of its life history. Love and Hanson (8) reported the life history and habits of crested wheat grass (Agropyron cristatum), an introduced grass adapted to the climate of the Northern Great Plains. Webb (18) made a detailed study of buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides), particularly of the seedling and stolon development. Hopkins (7) included the life history of side-oats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) in his study of the variations in growth of this species from seed secured from different sources in the Great Plains. Forsling and Dayton (2), Wilson (20), Hoover (6), Reitz and Morris (11), and Savage (14) have, in their several reports on native and introduced grasses, discussed blue grama, including many of its growth habits and its use in revegetation and erosion control. PROCEDURE The data which follows were secured in connection with a study of the variations in growth of blue grama grass grown from seed secured from various sources in the Great Plains Region (12). Plantings were made under field conditions. Observations began as soon as the seed germinated and continued regularly as the plants developed and matured. Opportunity was presented to observe and study many individual plants of the species from several sources. The plants were grown under as near optimum conditions of moisture and tilth as was possible. The results recorded represent the average of a number of individuals studied.