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The Hairy grama (Bouteloua hirsuta) belongs to Poaceae (the Grass family). It is a perennial herb that is distributed over much of North America. It grows on dry rocky slopes and grasslands, and is 20 to 50 cm tall. The leaves are long and narrow, with hairs on the edges, and grow mainly at the base of the stem or along the lower part of the stem. From July to September, it produces a raceme-like inflorescence at the top of the stem. There are 1 to 4 branches on the inflorescence, with the tip branches either upright or spreading out, and the lateral branches either pointing upwards or hanging down slightly. Each branch has 20 to 50 spikelets, which are tightly packed in two rows on one side of the rachis. The spikelets are green to purple in color, 5 to 6 mm long, and each has one fertile flower and usually one sterile flower. This plant is mainly used for grazing.
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