Bouteloua trifida
Encyclopedia
Bouteloua trifida is a species of grass
known by the common name Red Grama. It is native to central and northern Mexico
and the Southwestern United States
, where it grows in desert
scrub and other dry areas.
This is a small perennial grass growing up to about 30 centimeters in maximum height. It sometimes grows a small rhizome
. The thready leaves are no more than 5 centimeters long. The inflorescence
bears widely-spaced spikelets which are reddish purple in color. Each has three awns at the tip.
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
known by the common name Red Grama. It is native to central and northern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and the Southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
, where it grows in desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
scrub and other dry areas.
This is a small perennial grass growing up to about 30 centimeters in maximum height. It sometimes grows a small rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
. The thready leaves are no more than 5 centimeters long. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
bears widely-spaced spikelets which are reddish purple in color. Each has three awns at the tip.