Botanical Name: Buchloe dactyloides
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Common Name: Buffalograss  
Plant photo of: Buchloe dactyloides
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Water Saving Tip:

Replace turf with groundcovers, trees, and shrubs. If you have areas where no one uses the grass, patches that do not grow well, or a turf area too small to water without runoff, consider replacing the turf with water-efficient landscaping.

  • Anatomy

  • Culture

  • Design

Plant Type

Ground cover, Perennial, Grass

 

Height Range

Under 1'

 

Flower Color

Purple

 

Flower Season

Summer

 

Leaf Color

Green, Blue Green, Grey Green

 

Bark Color

n/a

 

Fruit Color

n/a

 

Fruit Season

n/a

Sun

Full

 

Water

Low

 

Growth Rate

Moderate, Slow

 

Soil Type

Clay, Loam, Rocky

 

Soil Condition

Average, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral, Basic

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

Japanese, Meadow, Mediterranean, Ranch, Seascape, Spanish

 

Accenting Features

n/a

 

Seasonal Interest

Spring, Summer

 

Location Uses

Lawn, Parking Strip, Walkways

 

Special Uses

Erosion Control, Mass Planting, Lawn Alternative, Naturalizing, Small Spaces

 

Attracts Wildlife

Birds

Information by: Stephanie Duer
Photographer:
  • Description

  • Notes

One of the very few drought tolerant North american grasses suitable for lawns. Buffalograss is a soft, grey-green to blue-green, warm season grass, growing 3 to 12 inches tall if left unmowed. Leaf blades are slender and curly, and the seed heads are compact. It spreads by rhizomes. It is a long-lived, warm season, sod-forming grass. Many varieties are available; it is even available in sod. Plant it with blueoats grama for a lovely, low-water lawn.
Buffalograss needs full sun and well-draining soil. It requires only 2 inches of water per month to stay green. It is a warm-season grass, which means it will be dormant (and tawny colored) from mid fall until the warmer part of spring. Plant seed, plugs, or sod (see Guides). Requires only 3 to 4 mowings all season, or don't mow at all, and have a billowy, prairie-like lawn.