Blue grama is a common, native grass found not only here in southern Arizona, but also in many other arid or grassy areas of the United States as well. This perennial, warm season bunchgrass blooms in the summer and is dormant in the winter. It grows to 20 inches (51 cm) in height.

The one-sided flower clusters consist of numerous small spikelets and florets. The flower clusters are initially straight, silvery green-magenta in color, and held at right angles to the stems, but they eventually dry to a pale blond color and curve into eyebrow-like shapes.

Blue Grama is not just a native grass, it also makes an attractive, drought tolerant, non-weedy accent grass for gardens. This versatile grass is also used for erosion control projects, in roadside plantings, and for prairie restoration. Because Blue Grama is highly palatable to livestock, it is also used for rangeland recovery projects.

Water Use: Low , Medium
Light Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry
Drought Tolerance: High
Cold Tolerant: yes
Heat Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: Well-drained, low organic content, gravelly soils or sandy loams, clays. Calcareous or granitic.
Conditions Comments: The most drought-tolerant native turf grass, more so than Buffalograss. Can survive with as little as 7 inches of rain annually. The drier it is, the less likely it will be to form a solid mat by rhizomes; it will stay in separate clumps. For this reason, it is often mixed with Buffalograss and/or wildflowers for a solid cover. The taller you let it grow, the less water it will need, because its roots will be shaded.