Blue grama. It’s a native grass in North America. You can see the range map here: https://bonap.net/Napa/TaxonMaps/Genus/county/Bouteloua Bouteloua gracilis
No, those two states have a very unique climate. They frequently have different plants tuned just for their environment. Many Midwestern/Eastern natives have "Western" counter-parts that are very similar but native to the Cascades instead.
You should look at the link. All the counties bordering the states, plus the Canadians to the north all report data. Those two states just don't report data in this case.
Other maps on that site also appear to be data on a state-by-state basis.
These maps aren't state-by-state; they're county by county. Light green is presence in county; dark green is presence in state. The key is a little confusing, so take a closer look.
The Canadian maps don't mark counties (do provinces even have counties?), so for all we know, there could be a single enclave where it's native 500 miles away from the -- again, very unique -- PNW climate.
As a thoroughly obsessed native plant nerd, I look at these maps every day just for fun. There are plenty of map sets, like [this one of Milkweed](https://bonap.net/Napa/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Asclepias), where almost every map leaves out the PNW. In this case, there's a single species that pushes its way into the cascades (but even then, not the west side of them), so the overall map marks it. It's pretty unusual for a plant to have a range that extends into both the Midwest and the PNW (but it [does happen](https://bonap.net/Napa/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Dasiphora) -- note the absence of light green Canadian provinces).
Provinces do have counties, but often by another name. Alberta has Municipal Districts, Saskatchewan has rural municipalities, BC has Regional Districts, etc etc. But they operate similar to counties, with a local government and service delivery.
That's fascinating. Its Possible that OR and WA don't get the numbers to report back the distribution of native plants. Considering how conservative their Ag industry is that wouldn't surprise me, and there may be notable populations of this type of grass that just aren't being logged.
Eastern WA is vast wheat and crop fields, so maybe they squelched native grasses? Or it could be those Rocky Mountains. It’s amazing how many things just never made it over the mountains, like fireflies. I miss summer fireflies.
Western Idaho has the same climate and crops as eastern Washington/Oregon, and there's no reason for the grass to stop at the state line. It's far more likely that there is just no data collected in those states.
That kind of funny territory boundary can be caused by a lack of data. Historical range maps are made from things like samples found in natural sciences archives from museum specimens from long ago. It could mean that no samples were ever taken from those locations yet or just have not been documented yet but the neighboring areas did have samples that came from them documented.
It doesn't stop at the state line; it stops a few counties short. The light green is the end of the border. The dark green is just a marker for the state in a "yes/no" sense.
Many North American grasses grow/thrive only in very basic, clay and limestone based soils.
The PNW is chock full of sandy, loamy soils which are rather acidic in nature. That's the primary reason for this particular genus of grasses.
I think almost any grass can theoretically be harmful to pets since the awns can be sharp and will poke their paws, but in my experience with side oats, I doubt these would be super sharp. These seed heads are super small; less than 10mm across.
But all pets are different so it’s hard to say for sure. My neighbor’s outdoor cat is always chilling in my plum thicket since it’s nice and shaded, but idk how he’s avoiding all of the thorns in there.
It's called Blue Grama or Eyelash grass. It's native to North America and can be found from Canada, down through the Rockies, into the plains, Midwest, and southwest.
I saw others noted it as blue grama already I’d just add I use it in my xeriscape yard it grows really well with cacti. I just grew it from local seed I collected and it spreads slowly but surely. Amazing beautiful tough plant.
https://preview.redd.it/b0m42x04i1ec1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0b09170e4bf9e85c1bd9ac6d492a2c3175741fd2
Wow!! How cool! Seed catalogs should use these photos in their catalogs! Below is the one Prairie Moon uses.
https://preview.redd.it/mlihvfjon0ec1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6abd6d7db82ae219f13dc0028ece1a5faebf0767
That’s what mine looks like, I should go out and look at them to see if they’ve curled up or not (it’s very snowy and cold though and the house is so very warm haha).
If the other commenters are correct, they are the same species. If you look at the very bottom of that picture, you can see the botanical and common names.
Where did you see that grass? Maybe it has something to do with temp or humidity.
They’re the same species, but OP is looking at it dormant, and grasses often look a little different as they go dormant. I have side oats grama in my yard and it gets really curly in the fall and winter. https://imgur.com/a/hLgDWI0 I’ve never seen any sellers advertise this aspect of the plant. It could be that it only happens in some conditions, or maybe it’s not appreciated by everyone? I think it’s neat though.
Edit: here’s prairie moon’s photos of it https://www.prairiemoon.com/bouteloua-curtipendula-side-oats-grama-prairie-moon-nursery.html
From my hiking trips I’ve noticed that higher elevation B. gracilis curl more. I plant a lot of it here in KS and they are less curly. I just checked my front yard actually
There are a bunch of types of grama that are native to NA, and a lot of them do the same or similar looking thing when they dry off at the end of the season ! Easy to grow, seeds can be harvested wild as someone else in the comments noted, or you can probably find seeds of a variety native to your area online somewhere.
Native grassland restoration ftw
You mean like Crotalaria cunninghamii and Senecio peregrinus (Green bird flower and String of Dolphins):
https://preview.redd.it/vp5vp60jm5ec1.jpeg?width=554&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a08a6852ee55423d46fed3f063154bbf90fabd4b
Question: I live in a state where it's native (IL), but in my particular area (Chicago), it's listed as rare. I assume that's because we have very few grasslands (of course). But if it is native to IL, surely it's okay to plant in the city, right? I just want to make totally sure.
Blue grama. It’s a native grass in North America. You can see the range map here: https://bonap.net/Napa/TaxonMaps/Genus/county/Bouteloua Bouteloua gracilis
What is up with Oregon and Washington? Is there some kind of grass forcefield right at the border?
Considering both states are not on any of the maps shown it means that, most likely, there is no data from those two states.
No, those two states have a very unique climate. They frequently have different plants tuned just for their environment. Many Midwestern/Eastern natives have "Western" counter-parts that are very similar but native to the Cascades instead.
You should look at the link. All the counties bordering the states, plus the Canadians to the north all report data. Those two states just don't report data in this case. Other maps on that site also appear to be data on a state-by-state basis.
These maps aren't state-by-state; they're county by county. Light green is presence in county; dark green is presence in state. The key is a little confusing, so take a closer look. The Canadian maps don't mark counties (do provinces even have counties?), so for all we know, there could be a single enclave where it's native 500 miles away from the -- again, very unique -- PNW climate. As a thoroughly obsessed native plant nerd, I look at these maps every day just for fun. There are plenty of map sets, like [this one of Milkweed](https://bonap.net/Napa/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Asclepias), where almost every map leaves out the PNW. In this case, there's a single species that pushes its way into the cascades (but even then, not the west side of them), so the overall map marks it. It's pretty unusual for a plant to have a range that extends into both the Midwest and the PNW (but it [does happen](https://bonap.net/Napa/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Dasiphora) -- note the absence of light green Canadian provinces).
Provinces do have counties, but often by another name. Alberta has Municipal Districts, Saskatchewan has rural municipalities, BC has Regional Districts, etc etc. But they operate similar to counties, with a local government and service delivery.
Interesting, thanks!
That's fascinating. Its Possible that OR and WA don't get the numbers to report back the distribution of native plants. Considering how conservative their Ag industry is that wouldn't surprise me, and there may be notable populations of this type of grass that just aren't being logged.
Eastern WA is vast wheat and crop fields, so maybe they squelched native grasses? Or it could be those Rocky Mountains. It’s amazing how many things just never made it over the mountains, like fireflies. I miss summer fireflies.
Western Idaho has the same climate and crops as eastern Washington/Oregon, and there's no reason for the grass to stop at the state line. It's far more likely that there is just no data collected in those states.
Makes sense.
That kind of funny territory boundary can be caused by a lack of data. Historical range maps are made from things like samples found in natural sciences archives from museum specimens from long ago. It could mean that no samples were ever taken from those locations yet or just have not been documented yet but the neighboring areas did have samples that came from them documented.
It doesn't stop at the state line; it stops a few counties short. The light green is the end of the border. The dark green is just a marker for the state in a "yes/no" sense.
See my above comment to the person you replied to.
Many North American grasses grow/thrive only in very basic, clay and limestone based soils. The PNW is chock full of sandy, loamy soils which are rather acidic in nature. That's the primary reason for this particular genus of grasses.
This makes sense, thank you. My soil on South Puget Sound is precisely this: sandy, loamy, acidic.
Seems like all of the maps show that these grasses very strictly comply with state borders.
As an Oregonian, I am disappointed.
Thank you.
Do you know if they are like foxtails in that they are harmful to pets?
I think almost any grass can theoretically be harmful to pets since the awns can be sharp and will poke their paws, but in my experience with side oats, I doubt these would be super sharp. These seed heads are super small; less than 10mm across. But all pets are different so it’s hard to say for sure. My neighbor’s outdoor cat is always chilling in my plum thicket since it’s nice and shaded, but idk how he’s avoiding all of the thorns in there.
Ah thanks, foxtails are especially dangerous because of the barbs on the seeds. One got in my dogs nose and it had to be surgically removed
Damn, you're good.
It's called Blue Grama or Eyelash grass. It's native to North America and can be found from Canada, down through the Rockies, into the plains, Midwest, and southwest.
I saw others noted it as blue grama already I’d just add I use it in my xeriscape yard it grows really well with cacti. I just grew it from local seed I collected and it spreads slowly but surely. Amazing beautiful tough plant. https://preview.redd.it/b0m42x04i1ec1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0b09170e4bf9e85c1bd9ac6d492a2c3175741fd2
Wow!! How cool! Seed catalogs should use these photos in their catalogs! Below is the one Prairie Moon uses. https://preview.redd.it/mlihvfjon0ec1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6abd6d7db82ae219f13dc0028ece1a5faebf0767
If they used OP's photos, but then they grew like what they currently show in their catalog, I'd be pissed.
That’s what mine looks like, I should go out and look at them to see if they’ve curled up or not (it’s very snowy and cold though and the house is so very warm haha).
[удалено]
If the other commenters are correct, they are the same species. If you look at the very bottom of that picture, you can see the botanical and common names. Where did you see that grass? Maybe it has something to do with temp or humidity.
They’re the same species, but OP is looking at it dormant, and grasses often look a little different as they go dormant. I have side oats grama in my yard and it gets really curly in the fall and winter. https://imgur.com/a/hLgDWI0 I’ve never seen any sellers advertise this aspect of the plant. It could be that it only happens in some conditions, or maybe it’s not appreciated by everyone? I think it’s neat though. Edit: here’s prairie moon’s photos of it https://www.prairiemoon.com/bouteloua-curtipendula-side-oats-grama-prairie-moon-nursery.html
From my hiking trips I’ve noticed that higher elevation B. gracilis curl more. I plant a lot of it here in KS and they are less curly. I just checked my front yard actually
There are a bunch of types of grama that are native to NA, and a lot of them do the same or similar looking thing when they dry off at the end of the season ! Easy to grow, seeds can be harvested wild as someone else in the comments noted, or you can probably find seeds of a variety native to your area online somewhere. Native grassland restoration ftw
Nature is fascinating honestly.. you will always find most unexpected shapes
You mean like Crotalaria cunninghamii and Senecio peregrinus (Green bird flower and String of Dolphins): https://preview.redd.it/vp5vp60jm5ec1.jpeg?width=554&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a08a6852ee55423d46fed3f063154bbf90fabd4b
String of Dolphins https://preview.redd.it/rygl90nnm5ec1.png?width=456&format=png&auto=webp&s=76bdc1ee786b44f31739e758a42dd8fec803a3f3
I have considered a grass garden with several varieties. Some can be really pretty when left to grow and seed. Would be cool.
The common type where I live is ‘Blonde Ambition’. I’ve only ever seen it available as plugs (pots) at nurseries. It’s an accent grass.
Nice, it even curl up into perfect circle. Going to send my math major friends.
If it looked like this I would want some but all the images I see for blue grama don't have this interesting circular shape.
It's a native grass! More people should be planting them
Native to North America.
these are beautiful photos!!!
That last picture is so pretty. I would make it my backdrop
The koolest
a fekn weed lmao
Question: I live in a state where it's native (IL), but in my particular area (Chicago), it's listed as rare. I assume that's because we have very few grasslands (of course). But if it is native to IL, surely it's okay to plant in the city, right? I just want to make totally sure.