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Side-oats grama
Habit (mature) · Alex Abair / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
Limited coverage
Side-oats grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
A native warm-season prairie grass with a distinctive flower arrangement: the small purple-red spikelets hang in two rows on one side of arching wiry stems — the namesake "side-oats" habit. State grass of Texas; widespread in tallgrass + shortgrass prairie. Drought-tolerant once established; among the more drought-resistant native grasses for hot dry sites.
Native: 44 US states + 3 CA provinces
Review: Source-backed
Climate fit: broad (96/100)
Structure
Border
Light
Full sun
Water
Low water
Mature size
18-30" tall · 18" apart
Hardy in zones
3a-9b
brutally cold to frosty winters
Summer heat range
Cool-Extreme
cool to extreme summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.
Native in Illinois
Yes
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A documented larval host for the Skipper butterflies — specialist wildlife that depend on plants like this to reproduce.
Wildlife relationships
Cold hardiness
Now
Zone 6b
USDA
Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer
Well-suited
2050
Zone 7b
Plotwright
Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)
Well-suited
In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.
Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.
Heat tolerance
Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…
Sources & citations
Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.
Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Side-oats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/side-oats-grama
Sources for every fact
Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited18 source-backed.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Database
Botanical research database
Backs 17 fields
Identity
Summary
Plant type
Light
Moisture
Hardiness
Heat zone
Size
Spacing
Habit
Design roles
Seasonal interest
Growth stages
Lifecycle
Regional guidance
Success tips
Designer notes
Wikimedia Commons
Photo · CC BY 4.0
Backs 1 field
Image
Community photos
The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.
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