Plant Guide 

United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service 

Plant Materials <http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/> 

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National Plant Data Center <http://npdc.usda.gov> 

SIDE-OATS GRAMA

Bouteloua curtipendula

(Michx.) Torr.

Plant Symbol = BOCU

Contributed by: USDA NRCS Plant Materials 

Center, Manhattan, Kansas 

Alan Shadow, East Texas Plant Materials Center, Nacogdoches, 

Texas 

Uses 

Forage: Side-oats grama produces high quality, 

nutritious forage that is relished by all classes of 

livestock throughout the summer and fall, and it 

remains moderately palatable into winter. This makes 

it one of the most important range grass species. 

Erosion Control: Weaver and Albertson (1944) 

described the role of side-oats grama in the recovery 

of grasslands following the drought of the 1930’s. It 

was one of the few grasses that covered large areas 

bared by the loss of other grasses during the drought 

period. Side-oats grama is recommended in grass 

mixtures for range and pasture seeding, for earth fill 

and bank stabilization, for other critical areas and 

recreational plantings. Successful seeding can be 

obtained in rocky, stony or shallow soil sites. In fact 

side-oats is often found in nearly pure stands on 

caliche outcrops, stony hillsides and breaks (Harlan, 

1954). 

Wildlife: Side-oats provides some forage for antelope 

and deer when actively growing. Elk will use this 

grass as forage throughout the year. Leithead et al. 

(1971) indicated that the seed of this species was 

consumed by wild turkeys. 

Status 

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State 

Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s 

current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, 

state noxious status, and wetland indicator values). 

Description 

General: Side-oats grama is a deep rooted, perennial 

grass. The plants crown will spread very slowly by 

means of extremely short, stout rhizomes. A midgrass in height, it has rather wide leaves and a very 

distinct inflorescence consisting of a zigzag stalk 

with small compressed spikes dangling from it at 

even intervals. The short spikes dangle from one side 

of the stalk, thus providing the plant with its common 

name. In the vegetative state the grass is easily 

recognized by the long, evenly spaced hairs attached 

to the margins of the leaf near its base. Side-oats 

grama possesses the C-4 photosynthetic pathway 

common to warm-season grasses (Waller and Lewis, 

1979). 

Distribution: For current distribution, please consult 

the Plant Profile page for this species on the 

PLANTS Web site. One of the most widely 

distributed of the grama grasses. It has a widespread 

distribution eastward from the Rocky Mountains to 

near the east coast except in the southeast. 

Habitat: Side-oats grama grows effectively in the 

dryer mid-grass prairie section of the Great Plains 

that has an annual rainfall of 12-20 inches. This 

species occurs naturally in mixed stands with blue 

grama (Bouteloua gracilis) and little bluestem 

(Schizachyrium scoparium). This grass is better 

adapted to calcareous and moderately alkaline soils 

than to neutral or acidic soils (Leithead etal., 1971) 

Adaptation 

Side-oats is adapted to a broad range of sandy to 

clayey textured soils; it is least tolerant of loose sands 

and dense clays. The best stands of side-oats are 

found on medium to fine texture upland soils. This 

species has shown varying tolerance to soil salinity 

from weak to moderate. Side-oats is moderately 

drought tolerant, but less than blue grama. It is 

moderately tolerant of semi-shaded conditions and 

can be found in open woodlands. It will sustain 

damage from wildfires when actively growing and 

under drought stress conditions, but is fairly tolerant 

of fire in a dormant state. It is also fairly tolerant of 

spring flooding. It probably has the widest range of 

adaptation of any of the warm-season perennial grass 

plants. It grows in combination with tall warm-season 
grasses such as big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) 

and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) all the way to 

the short grass plants such as buffalo grass 

(Bouteloua dactyloides) and blue grama (Bouteloua

gracilis). Thus, it can successfully grow in a variety 

of climates and habitats in the continental U.S. 

Establishment 

Seed improved cultivars of this grass no deeper than 

1⁄4 inch on fine textured soils and 3⁄4 inch on coarser 

textured soils. Planting with a grass seed drill on a 

firm, weed free seedbed at the rate of 2.5 to 5.0 

pounds of pure live seed (PLS) is encouraged. 

Broadcasting at a higher seeding rate (50 to 100 

percent increase) can be utilized on a previously 

prepared seedbed that will be culti-packed after 

seeding is completed. Increased seeding rate should 

also be used on bare areas, harsh sites, or on areas 

that require denser or quicker stand establishment. 

Seeding is more likely to be successful if moisture 

conditions are good and if mulch is used to retain 

moisture on the seeding site. Most seed germinates 

within 7 days under good field conditions. Seedling 

vigor is good when compared to other warm season 

grasses. Field germination, emergence and 

establishment of this species are better than other 

grama grasses. Protection from grazing is encouraged 

while seedlings are in the juvenile stage of growth. 

Management 

As a mid-grass, side-oats grama is intermediate in 

many respects between the tall and short grass 

species. Side-oats grama is not as resistant to grazing 

pressure as is blue grama due to its taller growth 

habit. Side-oats seedlings are vigorous and stands 

tend to establish quickly and can often be utilized for 

forage production the second year after planting. 

Side-oats grama is usually included in range mixes 

and should be managed as native rangeland. 

Management should include proper livestock 

stocking rates and correct season of use. 

Pests and Potential Problems 

Grasshoppers can be destructive of seedling stands. 

Some stem and leaf rust occurs in wet years and 

Mankin (1969) found several leaf spot and root rot 

fungi occurred on side-oats grama. 

Seeds and Plant Production 

Seed production experiments conducted in Nebraska 

in the 1950’s found that side-oats grama response to 

nitrogen fertilization was dependent on moisture 

conditions during critical growth periods (Newell et 

al., 1962). Seed yields measured as whole spikes 

were substantially increased over unfertilized check 

plots by all rates of nitrogen applied. Under drought 

conditions the application of 60 and 90 pounds of 

nitrogen yielded whole spike yields of approximately 

equal amounts. Under favorable moisture conditions 

nitrogen fertilization improved the quality of the 

caryopsis by increased weight per 1000 caryopsis 

over unfertilized plots. 

Seed of side-oats grama normally found on the open 

market consists of either whole spikes or individual 

florets, or mixtures of these, which vary widely in 

their content of germinable caryopsis. Thus, seeding 

rates of side-oats must be computed on the basis of 

purity and viability of the seed lot. Purity analysis of 

side-oats can be complicated by the inclusion of 

adhering glumes and spike fragments as part of the 

seed unit. As long as the seed unit has a germinable 

caryopsis in the spike it is considered viable and used 

in the computation of pure live seed by the seed 

analyst. Thus a spike may contain several germinable 

caryopses, but is counted only as one for the purpose 

of germination percentage. 

The effect of burning on seed yield was studied by 

Newell etal. (1962) in fertilized and unfertilized 

plots. Although the seed yield results were 

numerically larger from both levels of fertilized plots 

when burned, the differences could not be proven to 

be statistically different. This finding is noteworthy 

since it proves that proper burning, if not conducted 

too late in the spring, does not reduce seed yield. 

Burning is a proven method of cleaning the field for 

the new seed crop year. Burning has also been known 

to help control cool season weeds and reduce disease 

inoculums for the new crop. 

Thus, side-oats grama may be grown for seed in 

cultivated rows, and will respond to timely 

fertilization and irrigation applications. 

Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and 

area of origin) 

Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation 

Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office 

for more information. Look in the phone book under 

”United States Government”. The Natural Resources 

Conservation Service will be listed under the 

subheading “Department of Agriculture.” 

‘Butte’ was selected at Nebraska AES, Lincoln, 

USDA-ARS and SCS cooperatively by E.C. Conard 

and L.C. Newell. It represents native collections from 

Holt and Platte Counties in Nebraska that were 

combined and tested as Nebraska 37. Repeated field 

plantings revealed superior germination and 

establishment characteristics when compared with 

other sources. 
‘El Reno’ was released cooperatively in 1944 by the 

SCS, Manhattan, Kansas Plant Materials Center and 

Kansas AES. The original seed was collected in a 

field location near El Reno, Oklahoma in 1934. The 

material was outstanding for leafiness, forage 

production and vigor. It also ranked well for disease 

resistance, seed production, and winter hardiness. It 

is widely used in range seedings and is adapted to 

Kansas, Oklahoma and northern Texas. 

‘Haskell’ was released in 1983 by the James E. 

“Bud” Smith Plant Materials Center, Texas AES and 

USDA-ARS. The seed for this release was originally 

collected in 1960 by J.C. Yeary, Jr. in Haskell, Texas. 

It was selected based on rhizome production and 

adaptation as far south as the Rio Grande Valley in 

Texas. It is also known for its high forage palatability 

and prolific seed production. 

Killdeer was informally released in the late 1960’s by 

the Bismarck Plant Materials Center in Bismarck, 

ND. It is composed of seed collected from native 

stands in 1956 near Bowman, Bowman County and 

Killdeer, Dunn County, North Dakota. Killdeer 

possesses outstanding vigor, leafiness, fair seed 

production, freedom from disease and persistence in 

a cold, semi-arid environment. 

‘Niner’ was released in 1984 by SCS and the New 

Mexico and Colorado AES. The original seed for the 

release was collected by G.C. Niner and J.A. 

Anderson in 1957 west of Socorro, New Mexico. 

Niner was a bulk increase of the collection made by 

Niner and Anderson. 

Pierre was informally released in 1961 by the 

Bismarck Plant Materials Center and the South 

Dakota AES. The original seed for the release was 

collected in 1954 in Stanley County west of Pierre, 

South Dakota. The release is described as outstanding 

in vigor, leafiness, freedom from disease, seedling 

vigor and persistence in a semi-arid environment. 

‘Premier’ was released in 1960 cooperatively by 

Texas AES and USDA-ARS and NRCS. The original 

seed was collected in 1953 from a single plant 

growing between Cuauhtemoc and Chichuahua, 

Mexico. The release is described as having good 

seedling vigor, good seed yield, drought tolerance, 

upright growth form and leafiness. 

‘Trailway’ was cooperatively released in 1958 by 

Nebraska AES and USDA-ARS. The original seed 

was collected in 1953 in northern Holt County by 

L.C. Newell. The release is described as winter 

hardy, long lived, late maturing with a somewhat 

indeterminate heading and flowering response. 

Requires most of the growing season to mature a crop 

in eastern Nebraska and may fail to produce seed in 

areas with a shorter growing season. 

‘Vaughn’ was released in 1940 by the New Mexico 

AES and SCS Plant Science Division. The original 

seed was collected from native stands in 1935 near 

Vaughn, New Mexico. The release is described as 

slightly variable, but all have erect leaves, good 

seedling vigor and easy to establish. 

Northern, Central and Southern Iowa Germplasms 

were released in 1995 as source identified releases, 

by the Elsberry Plant Materials Center, University of 

Northern Iowa, Iowa Department of Transportation, 

Iowa Crop Improvement Association and NRVC. 

They are all composite lines from collections made in 

Northern, Central and Southern Iowa. 

References 

Harlan, J.R. 1954. Side-oats Grama (Bouteloua 

curtipendula) Forage Crops Leaflet No. 18. 

Oklahoma A&M College, Stillwater, OK. 

Leithead,H.L., Y.L. Yarlett, and T.N. Shiflet. 1971. 

100 native forage grasses in 11 southern states. 

USDA-SCS Agric. Handb. 389. U.S. GOV. Print 

Office. Washington,D.C. 

Mankin, C. J. 1969. Diseases of Grasses and Cereals 

in South Dakota. South Dakota State Univ., Agric. 

Exp. Stn. Tech. Bull. 35. 

Newell, L.C., R.D. Staten, E.B. Jackson, and E.C. 

Conard. 1962. Side-oats Grama in the Central Great 

Plains. Nebraska Ag. Exp. Stn. Research Bull. 207. 

Waller, S.S. and J.K. Lewis. 1979. Occurrence of C3 

and C4 photosynthetic pathways in North American 

grasses. J. Range Manage. 32:12-82. 

Weaver, J.E. and F.W. Albertson. 1944. Nature and 

recovery of grasslands from the great drought of 

1933 to 1940. Ecol. Monogr. 14:393-479. 

Prepared by and Species Coordinator 

Richard Wynia, USDA NRCS Manhattan Plant 

Materials Center, Manhattan, Kansas 

Edited: 070717 jsp 

For more information about this and other plants, please contact 

your local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the 

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