black grama

7.9

A grass that grows for many years in dry western United States and northern Mexico that cattle eat

noun
/blæk ˈɡræmə/

Specialized

: grama negra

Researchers measured the recovery of black grama after a wildfire in New Mexico.

Examples

Healthy stands of black grama are important for erosion control in arid grasslands.
Cattle in the Southwest often graze on black grama during the dry season.
The ranchers rely on black grama for their cattle.
Many animals thrive on black grama grass.
Farmers often rely on black grama to provide nutritious forage for their cattle.
The black grama grasslands in New Mexico are essential for supporting local wildlife.
In the arid regions of the southwest, black grama thrives under hot, dry conditions.

Synonyms

Bouteloua eriopoda

vsblack grama

Specialized

9.9

A short grass used for grazing in dry western North America

is the common name used for the same grazing pasture grass

Surface Forms

black grama singular

black gramas plural

Morphology

black + grama

The noun phrase is fully compositional: 'black' simply specifies a color/variant of 'grama' (a type of grass), so a learner who knows both words will infer it denotes a black variety of that grass used for grazing. Although specific botanical or regional details (perennial, native range) aren’t predictable, the basic referential meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Black grama may come from Spanish: grama means 'grass' and black describes the plant's darker seeds and color. Because this grass is good food for animals in dry lands, the name came to mean a dark grass 'used for grazing'.