Bouteloua breviseta Vasey, chino grama 
DESCRIPTION 
Warm-season, perennial bunch grass. 
Height: 8 to 12 inches. 
Leaf blade: Usually flat; narrow; 1 to 3 inches long; curls 
during prolonged dry periods and at maturity. 
Leaf sheath: Rounded; smooth; overlapping; about two- 
thirds as long as internodes. 
Ligule: Hairy. 
Stem: Solid. 
Seedhead: 2 spikes resembling a chicken’s comb on top of 
each stalk. 
GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS 
Reproduces largely from axillary buds at basal nodes. Some 
new plants are established from seed. When growth starts in late 
spring or early summer, most of old growth greens up because 
this grass stores nutrients in stems as well as in roots. 
DISTRIBUTION 
West Texas, southern New Mexico, and northern Mexico. 
SITE ADAPTATION 
Grows in nearly pure stands on gypsum sands and highly cal- 
careous clay loam soils. 
USE AND MANAGEMENT 
Chino grama is grazed by cattle, horses, sheep, and goats. 
Sometimes limited amounts are hand harvested for hay. It is an 
important conservation grass because it. is adapted to sites on 
which few other species will grow. 
This grass dies if overgrazed. It requires a full growing season 
deferment every 2 to 3 years for maximum production. 
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