Buchloe dactyloides
Buffalo Grass
This is the chief component of the short grass prairies that once grew from Mexico to Canada and was the primary range grass for great herds of buffalo that roamed them. It is one of the few grasses that has both male and female plants, and our plants are grown from seed so you get both male and female plants. Female flowers are found down inside the foliage and produce a single seed, the size of small pea. Male flowers are small pennants held 2-3″ above the foliage.
Uses: Buffalo Grass makes a fine natural lawn or pathway grass. Good for erosion control and in dry gardens with succulents and other drought tolerant plants. A great filler in between clumps of taller flowering grasses.
Combines well with Muhlenbergia and Bouteloua. Tolerates a wide variety of soils and thrives in both coastal conditions and the high desert.
Origin: Our vigorous seed-grown plants are from a variety of seed sources and are selected for range management, meaning they are a bit taller to provide more foliage for cows to eat.
You won’t get as many male flowers with the straight species here as you will with our male flowering buffalo grass clone, Buffalo Bill.
Details
BOTANICAL NAME: Buchloe dactyloides
COMMON NAMES: Buffalo Grass
CATEGORY/FAMILY: Grass / Poaceae
NATIVE: North American Plains
WINTER HARDINESS: USDA 8-10, root hardy to 10 F
HABIT: Colony forming, spreads from above ground stolons
FOLIAGE COLOR & TEXTURE: Sage green, fine-textured
SEASONAL FOLIAGE APPEARANCE: Warm season growing, parchment colored in winter
FLOWERING CHARACTERISTICS: Male flower stalks are 4 to 8 inches tall
FOLIAGE HEIGHT/FLOWER HEIGHT: Foliage 2 – 5″ / Flowers: 4 – 6″ above foliage
SUN EXPOSURE: Full sun to part shade
SOIL ADAPTABILITY OR PREFERENCES: All types
WATER NEEDS: Drought tolerant, prefers moderate to dry
DESERT ADAPTABILITY: Yes
COASTAL EXPOSURE: Yes
NATURALIZING POTENTIAL: Spreads primarily by stolons
POLLINATOR & WILDLIFE VALUE: Forage for your pet buffaloes
LANDSCAPE VALUE: Pathways, natural lawns, filler
PESTS & REPORTED PROBLEMS: Deer resistant
SPACING: 8- 12″ on center, or closer
MAINTENANCE TIPS: Cut 2 to 4 times a year for a short lawn; otherwise cut once to 3″ in winter if interplanted with bulbs
Buffalo Grass
This is the chief component of the short grass prairies that once grew from Mexico to Canada and was the primary range grass for great herds of buffalo that roamed them. It is one of the few grasses that has both male and female plants, and our plants are grown from seed so you get both male and female plants. Female flowers are found down inside the foliage and produce a single seed, the size of small pea. Male flowers are small pennants held 2-3″ above the foliage.
Uses: Buffalo Grass makes a fine natural lawn or pathway grass. Good for erosion control and in dry gardens with succulents and other drought tolerant plants. A great filler in between clumps of taller flowering grasses.
Combines well with Muhlenbergia and Bouteloua. Tolerates a wide variety of soils and thrives in both coastal conditions and the high desert.
Origin: Our vigorous seed-grown plants are from a variety of seed sources and are selected for range management, meaning they are a bit taller to provide more foliage for cows to eat.
You won’t get as many male flowers with the straight species here as you will with our male flowering buffalo grass clone, Buffalo Bill.
Details
BOTANICAL NAME: Buchloe dactyloides
COMMON NAMES: Buffalo Grass
CATEGORY/FAMILY: Grass / Poaceae
NATIVE: North American Plains
WINTER HARDINESS: USDA 8-10, root hardy to 10 F
HABIT: Colony forming, spreads from above ground stolons
FOLIAGE COLOR & TEXTURE: Sage green, fine-textured
SEASONAL FOLIAGE APPEARANCE: Warm season growing, parchment colored in winter
FLOWERING CHARACTERISTICS: Male flower stalks are 4 to 8 inches tall
FOLIAGE HEIGHT/FLOWER HEIGHT: Foliage 2 – 5″ / Flowers: 4 – 6″ above foliage
SUN EXPOSURE: Full sun to part shade
SOIL ADAPTABILITY OR PREFERENCES: All types
WATER NEEDS: Drought tolerant, prefers moderate to dry
DESERT ADAPTABILITY: Yes
COASTAL EXPOSURE: Yes
NATURALIZING POTENTIAL: Spreads primarily by stolons
POLLINATOR & WILDLIFE VALUE: Forage for your pet buffaloes
LANDSCAPE VALUE: Pathways, natural lawns, filler
PESTS & REPORTED PROBLEMS: Deer resistant
SPACING: 8- 12″ on center, or closer
MAINTENANCE TIPS: Cut 2 to 4 times a year for a short lawn; otherwise cut once to 3″ in winter if interplanted with bulbs