Buffalograss

Bouteloua dactyloides

native · Hill Countrysold locally

Buffalograss is a grass native to the Texas Hill Country that grows 0.5–1 ft tall and 2 ft wide. It wants full sun and low water, and handles caliche and clay soil. Blooms yellow in mid summer. Good for birds and butterflies.

Will it grow in your yard?

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The facts

7 sources

Type: Grass
Sun: Full sun (6–8 hrs of direct sun)
Water: Low
Height: 0.5–1 ft
Spread: 2 ft
Bloom: Mid Summer · yellow
Foliage: Deciduous or dies back in winter
Soil: Takes caliche and clay · recorded on clay, dry, loam, rich, rocky, well drained
Wildlife: Supports birds and butterflies

Where it grows

Recorded in these EPA Level IV ecoregions in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Balcones CanyonlandsLlano UpliftEdwards Plateau WoodlandNorthern Blackland PrairieSouthern Post Oak SavannaFloodplains and Low TerracesLimestone Cut PlainSan Antonio Prairie

936 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Sold at local nurseries. Confirmed in stock at a Central Texas grower in these sizes:

2.5 and 4 inch pots

From the growers we read so far — a short list, not the whole trade. Call ahead.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.