Bouteloua dactyloides (syn. Buchloe dactyloides)

Buffalo Grass

This shortgrass prairie native is a stellar alternative to the traditional lawn. Fine-textured, gray green to blue green foliage grows 10-12 inches long but curls and drapes over for a shorter appearance. Male flowers in small, comb-like spikes hover above the foliage, while female flowers cluster on short stems down in the leaves. Spreads quickly by rhizomes, forming a dense carpet. It can be left in place for a natural look or mowed several times per year (2-3” minimum) to look more like a lawn. To keep a manicured, hard edge, it will need periodic edging.

Buffalo Grass has low fertility and water requirements, and tolerates heat, drought, and alkaline soils. It is intolerant of heavy moisture and sandy soils. While not widely used in the Southeast, it has performed well for us in central NC. Foliage turns dormant and straw-colored mid-fall through mid-spring and with heavy drought. Takes light foot traffic.

The common name reflects this grass’s role as forage for buffalo (American bison) that once roamed the Great Plains. Bouteloua dactyloides was a major component of the shortgrass prairie, and early settlers in the region used it to construct their sod houses. Then and now, it’s a larval host for green skipper butterflies. The specific epithet, dactyloides, means fingerlike, which refers to the inflorescences. For an in-depth look at Buffalo Grass, see our blog post.