Name:
Bouteloua gracilis - Buchloe dactyloides Herbaceous Vegetation
Reference:
Western Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
This blue grama - buffalo grass shortgrass prairie type is common across much of the central and southern Great Plains of the United States. Stands occur on flat to rolling uplands. The surface soil may be sandy loam, loam, silt loam, or loamy clay. The subsoil is often finer than the surface soil. This community is characterized by a moderate to dense sod of short grasses with scattered mid grasses and forbs. The dominant species are <i>Bouteloua gracilis</i> and <i>Buchloe dactyloides</i>. The foliage of these species is 7-19 cm tall, while the flowering stalks of <i>Bouteloua gracilis</i> may reach 45 cm. The mid grasses are usually stunted by the arid conditions and often do not exceed 0.7 m. Other short graminoids found in this community are <i>Bouteloua hirsuta, Carex duriuscula, Carex inops ssp. heliophila</i>, and <i>Carex filifolia</i> (in Nebraska). Several mid grasses occur regularly, such as <i>Aristida purpurea, Bouteloua curtipendula, Pascopyrum smithii, Schizachyrium scoparium, Elymus elymoides, Sporobolus cryptandrus, Hesperostipa comata (= Stipa comata)</i>, and <i>Vulpia octoflora</i>. Forbs, such as <i>Astragalus</i> spp., <i>Gaura coccinea, Machaeranthera pinnatifida var. pinnatifida, Opuntia polyacantha, Plantago patagonica, Psoralidium tenuiflorum, Ratibida columnifera</i>, and <i>Sphaeralcea coccinea</i>, are common throughout this community. Shrubs are very rare except in the southern part of this community's range where scattered individuals may occur. In Oklahoma, other characteristic species include <i>Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Aristida oligantha, Machaeranthera tanacetifolia, Melampodium leucanthum, Muhlenbergia torreyi, Sporobolus compositus, Sporobolus cryptandrus</i>, and <i>Zinnia grandiflora</i>. In Texas, associated species include <i>Prosopis glandulosa, Bouteloua curtipendula</i>, and <i>Sporobolus cryptandrus</i>.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.34337.CEGL001756
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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