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Arizona
Range Grasses Back to the Table of Contents
Growth habit: A perennial viney type of sodgrass.
Runners form on top of the ground. These are round, wiry and may be
as much as 10 feet long. The nodes of these runners are swollen and
densely hairy. Because of the sod growth habit, stands of the grass
are often rather dense.
Occurrence In all counties except Coconino, Graham, Pinal, and Maricopa
at elevations ranging from 1,000 to 6,000 feet. This grass usually grows
in swales, mud flats, lowlands with fine-textured soils, and along drainages
that are irrigated at times by flood waters. It extends up into the
lower ponderosa pine forest but is more common at slightly lower elevations. Forage Value Vine mesquite provides fair forage for all grazing animals
while green, but becomes coarse and unpalatable after maturity. It rates
excellent as an erosion control plant. Vine mesquite should be grazed during the summer while
actively growing because the stems and leaves are coarse and lose much
of their palatability on drying. When this grass grows in areas that
are subject to erosion, it should not be heavily grazed. Light grazing
gives the runners an opportunity to grow and permits the plants to spread.
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Cooperative
Extension,College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, The University of
Arizona