BOUTELOUA CURTIPENDULA

This native grass has graceful, blue-green foliage. Attractive tiny flowers in bright purple and orange appear on tall spikes in late summer. Its name, Sideoats Grama, comes from the way the oat-like seeds all lean to one side of the stem, despite emerging on two sides. Bouteloua makes a wonderful drought tolerant groundcover for a sunny dry location. It combines well with other sun-loving natives like Butterfly Weed, Echinacea and Black-eyed Susans. This grass grows well in many kinds of soil, including those containing clay-loam, gravel, rocky material, and sand. It is very drought tolerant and works well on gentle or moderate slopes.