Sprucetop grama, esteemed as a very valuable grass wherever it 

 occurs, is an erect mostly tufted perennial, usually attaining a height 

 of about 15 to 18 inches but under the best growth conditions it may 

 occasionally grow as high as 3 feet and almost form a turf. 



This species is restricted to southern Arizona in the United States, 

 its main range being in Mexico. In southern Arizona it occurs 

 chiefly in the foothills and desert areas where it constitutes a large 

 portion of the forage on some ranges, occasionally growing in 

 nearly pure stands but more frequently in mixture with slender 

 grama (B. filiformis}, side-oats grama (B. curtipendnHa) , false-mes- 

 quite (CaZlmndrd eriophylla) , and velvetpod mimosa, or Arizona 

 rose (Mimosa dysocarpa). 



While somewhat less palatable than the associated side-oats and 

 slender gramas, sprucetop grama is grazed on some considerable 

 scale, particularly during the summer growing season. The leaves, 

 although short, are numerous so that the plants furnish considerable 

 forage. This species cures very well on the ground and is valuable 

 for late fall, winter, and spring use. In fact, sprucetop grama 

 forms the backbone of some year-long ranges. 



In order to promote maximum forage production this plant should 

 be grazed conservatively during its period of rapid growth. Flower 

 stalks are usually sent up in July and August and the seed is largely 

 disseminated during September and October. This species has two 

 methods of reproduction by rootstocks and by seed. It is said to 

 form a turf in parts of Mexico. It is drought-resistant and with- 

 stands grazing satisfactorily unless subjected to continued abuse. 



Sprucetop grama has numerous slender, flat leaves and compara- 

 tively naked stems, each bearing commonly 3 to 7 woolly-bristly 

 spikes. Its appearance varies considerably at different growth 

 stages. The flowers, and later the seeds, are borne on the axis of 

 the spike in two comb-teethlike rows, a characteristic of many 

 gramas. This identifying feature disappears with the development 

 of the rigid awns of the spikelets. Although this species resembles 

 slender grama with which it is associated commonly, it is readily 

 distinguishable from the latter by its woolly spikes. Boutelo'ua 

 eludens, a species with no accepted common name, is often associated 

 with B. chondrosioides and is difficult to separate from it botanically. 

 This plant apparently is not so common on the range, though of 

 about equal palatability. 



The species is sometimes called woollyspike and Havard grama 

 (the United States form of the species was originally known as 

 B. havardii). It is of historical interest, as the illustrious Baron 

 von Humboldt collected its type specimens in Mexico in the early 

 nineteenth century. 



