Bouteloua trifida

Bouteloua trifida, commonly known as the red grama, is a species of grass in the Poaceae family. It is endemic to central and northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, where it grows in dry areas, including desert scrub.

It is a small perennial grass growing up to 30 cm tall. It sometimes grows as a rhizome. Its thready leaves reach at most 5 cm long. The inflorescences are reddish purple in color, bearing widely-spaced spikelets. Each inflorescence has three awns at its tip.

Varieties
There are two recorded varieties of B. trifida:


 * Bouteloua trifida var. burkii (Scribn. ex S.Watson) Vasey ex L.H.Dewey; (syn. Chondrosum trinii) found in the United States in New Mexico and Texas, and in Mexico.
 * Bouteloua trifida var. trifida, found in the United States in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah, and in Mexico.