Buffalograss is a perennial
grass, growing 2 to 8 inches tall or more. IIt can be erect or mat-forming by producing new plants at the end of runners (stolons) that can root nearby. Most commonly, male and female flowers are separate and occur on different plants, but on occasion they can occur on the same plant separately or rarely, in the same flower. The green flowers are tiny and inconspicuous. Male flowers are typically clustered on one to five comb-like branches arranged along a stem; female flowers are typically clustered and hidden in a small, green sheath at the top of a stem. Flowers are pollinated by wind or by self-pollinated.
Buffalograss occurs on upland portions of semi-desert grasslands, mixed-grass, shortgrass prairie, and tallgrass prairie as well as pinyon-juniper, mesquite, ponderosa pine, and oak-hickory woodlands. It occurs on all soil types, but prefers clay soils. This species is drought-, heat-, and cold-resistant. It is somewhat shade tolerant, but intolerant of dense shade.
