VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Bouteloua barbata var. barbata | Sixweeks Grama 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Sixweeks grama is poor livestock forage.  Plants are small and produce
little forage, are green for only a short time, are nutritionally
deficient after maturity, and the roots often pull up when grazed
[11,26].  Its abundance and, therefore, availability to livestock is
irregular from year to year.

The seeds of grama grasses (Bouteloua spp.) are eaten by numerous
species of song birds and small mammals [19].  Rabbits and wild
ungulates eat grama grasses [19].  The banner-tailed kangaroo rat,
Merriam's kangaroo rat, and white-throated woodrat store sixweeks grama
seeds in their dens [20].


PALATABILITY : 
Sixweeks grama is of low palatability to livestock.


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Sixweeks grama is fairly nutritious when green [26], but its nutritional
value drops rapidly after maturity, and plants become "practically
worthless" [5].  Data from a winter nutritional analysis of sixweeks
grama are presented below [22]:

                              (% of dry weight)
date         protein   ether   acid det.  ash   calcium   phosphorus
                      extract    fiber

February       5.1      1.4      51.3     6.2     .30        .05
March          6.3      1.5      53.2     1.7     .63        .05


COVER VALUE : 
Because of its small stature, sixweeks grama presumably provides cover
for only small wildlife species.


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
NO-ENTRY


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Sixweeks grama is highly resistant to grazing and is classified as an
invader [26].  Rangelands with an abundance of annual grasses, including
sixweeks grama, are only productive for a couple of months following
summer rains, and can be heavily stocked at this time before the grasses
deteriorate [5].

Related categories for Species: Bouteloua barbata var. barbata | Sixweeks Grama