Many bee species collect the pollen of many species of grasses. All can be used for desert tortoise enclosures, though the more spreading types are better for keeping up with a tortoise appetite.

Grasses also play an important role in the ecology of soil, and because they are monocots, they can be planted close to other species of plants (the nature of the root systems of monocots renders them less imposing on neighboring plants). They hold soil down and help prevent erosion. Many species are pioneer plants that convert disturbed soils into hospitable places for other plants.

Roots chewed and blown on cuts; taken as a postpartum medicine; seeds ground and used to make mush and flour; stems used to make combs, brooms, and baskets; used as animal fodder; also used ceremonially.

Bouteloua named for brothers Claudio (1774-1842) and Esteban (1776-1813) Boutelou Agraz, Spanish botanists and horticulturalists; gracilis is Latin for thin, small, or graceful.

Found on open rocky slopes, forest openings, grasslands; 4,000-8,000 ft. It is most commonly found from Alberta, Canada, east to Manitoba and south across the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and U.S. Midwest states, onto the northern Mexican Plateau in Mexico. This is an incredibly common rangeland grass in the Southwest.