Taxon Report

Bouteloua trifida Thurb.

three-awned grama

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Bouteloua trifida, commonly known as three-awned grama, is a perennial herb in the Poaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Mojavean desert scrub (carbonate, and rocky), growing at elevations from 700 to 2000 meters. Bouteloua trifida is ranked 2B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Bouteloua trifida Thurb.
Common Name:	three-awned grama
Family:	Poaceae
Element Code:	PMPOA100L0
USDA Plants Symbol:	BOTR2
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: (Apr)May-Sep	(Apr)May-Sep
Elevation:	700-2000 (2295-6560)
General Habitats:	Mojavean desert scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	2B.3
Global Rank:	G4G5
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:	changed from 2.3 to 2B.3 on 2013-06-12

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	21
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	1
Good (B)	2
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	18

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Inyo (INY), San Bernardino (SBD)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Blackwater Mine (3511577), Clark Mtn. (3511555), East of Ryan (3611635), Echo Canyon (3611646), Fountain Peak (3411585), Horse Thief Springs (3511578), Ivanpah (3511533), Ivanpah Lake (3511554), Kelso (3511516), Kelso Dunes (3411586), Mesquite Lake (3511565), Mesquite Mountains (3511566), Mohawk Spring (3411447), North of Tecopa Pass (3511681), Ryan (3611636), State Line Pass (3511564), West of Shenandoah Peak (3511576), Whipple Mts. SW (3411434), Whipple Wash (3411433)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	2
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	1	5 %
Mining	1	4%
ORV activity	1	4%

Notes



See Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 18:177 (1883) for original description, and Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 66(3):399-400 (1979) for taxonomic treatment.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 6 February 2025].