Common curlymesquite
Hilaria belangeri
Poaceae
Description
Forms sod with slender, creeping stolons that take root at the leafy nodes. Stems are pale green. The blades are densely tufted and curly. Internodes are alternatively curved. The foliage turns yellow after frost. Stolons are long, wiry, rough, and have hair at the nodes. (Resembles buffalograss, except that buffalograss is smooth.) The single spike-like seed head shows a zig-zag stem when the florets fall.
Common curlymesquite is a perennial, warm-season, native - 4 to 10 inches tall.
Fair grazing for livestock. Poor grazing for wildlife.
Habitat
Grows on plains, prairies and dry hillsides and withstands heavy grazing but is not drought resistant.
Images
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial
Stem Texture: Hairy
Growth Habit: Grasses, Sod grass
Season: Warm
Distribution
: 02 - Gulf Prairies and Marshes, 04 - Blackland Prairies, 05 - Cross Timbers and Prairies, 06 - South Texas Plains, 07 - Edwards Plateau, 08 - Rolling Plains, 09 - High Plains, 10 - Trans-Pecos
Distributions
Distribution refers to the ecological region in Texas that a plant has been found. You can also view a clickable map.
Book: Know Your Grasses (B-182)
Collection: Grasses
