Grass Description
Dry sandy limestone soils. Often used as a substitute for turf grasses. Wide spread in the plains, rare in Arizona but found in Coconino and Yavapai counties.
General Description
Strongly stoloniferous grass, sometimes sod-forming, 4 to 6 inches high. Male and female flowers usually borne on separate plants. Male seedheads have 2 or 3 comb-like branches. Female seedheads much shorter than male.
Perennial, slender and erect stems, may form mats, usually male and female plants. Female seedheads shorter than male, spikelets bur-like. Male spikelets 1/8 inch long in two rows on one side of the seedhead axis, 1 to 3 branches per seedhead.
Flower Characteristics
Male seedheads are erect with 2 or 3 side branches bearing 2-flowered spikelets in two rows. Female spikelets are 1-flowered burs on short stems, partially hidden among the leaves. Florets are unawned or very short awned.
Vegetative Characteristics
Leaves are flat with inrolled tips, <6 inches long and 1/8 inch wide, grayish-green or bluish-green in color, smooth without hairs or sparsely soft-hairy.
Buffalograss is utilized by all classes of livestock and wildlife. It is considered good quality forage and nutritional qualities do not decline significantly during curing.