Sideoats Grama has a very large native range from southcentral Canada down through Texas over to northwest Florida up to Connecticut and also found in much of the Southwest, down Central America into western South America into Argentina. It is a warm season grass that is a rhizomatous clump, so it does spread slowly as a clump. Its little grass flowers have red-purple anthers that dangle and white anthers that stick up. The flowers and seedheads appear on one side of the stalk, thus the name. It is a larval host for the caterpillars of 5 species of skipper moths. It is sold by a good number of native plant nurseries. Prairie Moon Nursery in southern Minnesota not only sells little pots by mail but also bareroot plants in spring and fall. It is a lovely perennial that I've only seen in a few native plant restorations or landscapes.

Reply to this comment

Sideoats grama is the official state grass of Texas.

Reply to this comment