Plant Image
Plant - fall
Rimrock Verde Valley


Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants

Bouteloua aristidoides - needle grama

Synonyms: Aristida unilateralis, Atheropogon aristidioides, Bouteloua ciliate, Dinebra aristidoides, Dinebra hirsuta
Plant Form: Grass

Family: Poaceae


   
 
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Plant - fall
Camp Verde - Tent Rocks area
Sue Smith
Blades
Rimrock Verde Valley
John Kava
Blades
Rimrock Verde Valley
John Kava
Seedhead
Rimrock Verde Valley
John Kava
Seedhead
Rimrock Verde Valley
John Kava
Spikelets
Camp Verde - Tent Rocks area
Sue Smith
  Grass Description -   Glossary of Grass Terminology


Origin: Native    Season: Warm
Habitat Description: Dry mesas, washes and waste places.
Plant Communities:Desert Scrub, Interior Chaparral, Semidesert Grasslands, Pinyon Juniper Woodland, Disturbed Areas
Elevation: Below 6000 feet


General Description

Desc: Small wiry weak-stemmed annual grass with one-sided and few-flowered seedheads, superficially resembling a three-awn grass, extremely variable in size.
Identification Notes: Annual; blades few up to 6 inches; seedheads narrow, fall intact at maturity, stems bearded, sharp pointed at the base; spikelets irregularly spaced; glumes narrow, taper to a sharp point; lemmas have hairy nerves and are toothed.
Grass Type: Annual  Rhizomes: N  Stolons: N
Large Dense Clump (> 2 feet): N  Bushy (highly branched): N
Height with Seedheads: Less than 12 inches
Seedhead Structure: Branched - comblike branches  Seedhead Droops: N
Flowering Period: Jun - Oct
Flower Characteristics

Number of Flowers per Spikelet: Multi-flowered  Spikelets One-sided: Y
Awns: 1/4 inch to 1 inch   Three Awns: Y  Awns Bent: N
Flower and Seedhead Notes: Slender axis with 8 to 14 branches of 2 to 4 spikelets, one fertile. Rudimentary florets are 3 awned, resembling Aristida species. Central stem where spikelets attach is densely hairy and extends beyond the terminal spikelet.
Vegetative Charcteristics

Blade Hairy: Y    Blade with White Margins: N    Blade Cross section: Flat or folded
Blade Notes: Blades few and thin, 5-1/2 inches long and less than 1/8 inch wide, flat or folded, top surfaces and margins near the ligules have hairs with nipple-like bases.
Sheath Hairy: N    Tuft of Hairs at top of Sheath or Collar: Y    Ligules: Membranous and hairy
Auricles (Ear-like lobes at collar area: N

Forage Value: Not significant as forage.


  Arizona Cooperative Extension
Yavapai County
840 Rodeo Dr #C
Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 445-6590
Version 8.0  
http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailGrass.php  
Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022
Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson  
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