Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides

Buffalograss is a small warm-season ornamental grass in the grass family (Poaceae). It is native to the central region of North America. The genus name Bouteloua comes from Spanish botanists Exteban and Claudius Boutelou, and the species epithet dactyloides is Latin for fingers. It is a stoloniferus grass and is a fast spreader. It forms a dense clump reaching a height of 8 inches tall and 12 inches wide.

Plant this grass in the full sun in dry to moist soils with good drainage. It will not tolerate shade or high traffic. The leaves are blue-green to gray-green and curly. This grass can also be mowed to a height of 2" tall and used as a lawn alternative surviving the heat and drought of southern summers. When this grass goes dormant from mid-fall to mid-spring it will turn straw-colored but it will green back up quickly in the spring. This grass can be seeded or plugs or sod may be used.

Use this grass as a low-maintenance lawn alternative for lawns, in parks, commercial plantings, or golf courses. It can provide erosion control on dry sunny sloped areas.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Leaf spot, brown patch or summer patch may occur. Spread of the plant by stolons into other planting areas can be problematic. It is easily overwhelmed by better adapted warm-season turfgrasses when planted in a mixture. Due to its open canopy, weed encroachment may be problematic. Very few pesticides are labeled for use with this species.