Single Record

Participant Info

Species
Bouteloua simplex [Chondrosum simplex] [Chondrosum procumbens] [Chondrosum prostratum]
Family
Poaceae
CommonName
matted grama, mat grama
Presence
yes
Status
native
EarliestDate
1935
LatestDate
2025
Ecosystem
basin, shrubland, foothill, ruderal, urban
Geobotanical
SSawatch, Garitas, SSanjuans, UBasin, LBasin
Counties
Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Rio Grande, Saguache
Passes
WildlifePreserves
Other Localities
Alamosa (town), Del Norte
Comments
In the Watershed matted gramma—annual and warm-season—has spread along road and street sides from its native habitat in dry grassland, bushy foothills, and Ponderosa pine openings. Bouteloua simplex can be confused with B. gracilis, but B. simplex is annual and has only one spike per culm, which on lower culms often takes on a purplish cast. Also the lower inflorescence differs from the upper. The species was sometimes planted along town streets. In Del Norte, for instance, hundreds of plants recently have been observed (2023-2025) along south 9th street. The USA distribution is centered in northern and eastern Arizona, New Mexico, and in the Front Range and the southwest counties of Colorado. It follows the Rio Grande drainage through New Mexico into the far western tip of Texas.