Native to Texas, Buffalo Grass makes a fantastic yard cover for Austin area homemakers. A North American perennial prairie grass, Buffalograss, or Buchloe Dactyloides, is usually found in the high plains and is typically co-dominant with blue grama.

The grass isn’t native to Texas alone, however; it can also be found in New Mexico, northern Mexico, Arizona, coastal Louisiana, northern Idaho and Virginia, and from central Montana to Minnesota. Resistant to heat, cold, and drought, as well as completely water efficient and low-maintenance, it makes an ideal plant for just about any lawn. Its evolution through centuries of hard weather in the Great Plains has made it a tough, durable plant that can survive many extremes. Buffalo Grass does require a minimum of six to eight hours of sunlight daily, though it will thrive in much sunnier situations in hot climates prone to drought.  Well-drained soil is also needed for optimal growth and development.

Though the sod forming grass often grows from two to five inches in height, in the Great Plains area it can really thrive, growing as high as twelve inches. In fact, the grass can grow up to five inches within less than two months after the seeds have been sown—an uncommon characteristic of most native grasses. Generally, the grass can endure a lengthy germination period, but some human help with nitrate solution can help the grass sprout more quickly.

Growing in the springtime, Buffalo Grass will usually stay green throughout the entire summer—sometimes without any efforts from homeowners whatsoever. After the first frost, the grass will cease to grow, change colors, and begin its lush green cycle anew the following spring.

Buffalo Grass is made of both male and female plants. Females produce seeds while males create pollen. The grass features very fine roots—only about a millimeter in diameter—though they are abundant in number and are distributed copiously throughout occupying soil. Its leaves are also very fine, and are covered with hairs—though the leaf sheaf is smooth and hairless.

Another great use for Buffalo Grass is erosion control, since it’s such a tough, stay-put plant. It’s also a perfect plant for people hoping to save both the monetary and environmental costs of having to water their lawns excessively, since Buffalo Grass requires little to no watering. For these reasons and more, the grass is often used in parks, businesses, and schools as landscaping plants.