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Glite Dictionary
Bouteloua gracilis

Bouteloua gracilis

9.5
A short grass that grows on dry plains in western North America and is good for grazing cattle
  • noun
  • /ˌbuːtəˈloʊə ˈɡræsɪlɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Bouteloua gracilis
  • Right now, warm-season grasses like blue grama, Bouteloua gracilis, dominate the shortgrass prairie in Colorado.

Examples

  • Bouteloua gracilis, commonly known as blue grama, provides excellent forage for cattle in the western United States.

  • Farmers often plant Bouteloua gracilis to improve pasture quality for their livestock.

  • In its native habitat, Bouteloua gracilis can be found thriving in dry, sunny areas where other grasses might struggle.

Synonyms

blue grama
vsBouteloua gracilis
  • US
8.4

A short grass with blue-green leaves that farmers use as food for animals

is the formal scientific name for the same grass

Surface Forms

Bouteloua gracilis singular
Bouteloua gracilises plural

Morphology

Bouteloua + gracilis

This is a Linnaean binomial (genus + specific epithet): a learner who knows 'Bouteloua' is a botanical genus and 'gracilis' means 'slender' can infer it names a slender species of Bouteloua (i.e., a type of grass). However, the exact common name "blue grama" and the species' ecological/forage importance are not derivable from the parts alone, so the meaning is only partly predictable.

Etymology

Bouteloua gracilis is a two-part plant name: the first part, Bouteloua, honors a plant scientist named Boutelou, and the second part, gracilis, is Latin for 'slender' or 'thin', which pictures its narrow leaves. So the name helps you remember that this is a thin, short grass often used for grazing.