Description

Sporobolus airoides,
Alkali Sacaton (Native)

Medium height, 1½ – 3 ft. tall, perennial, drought-tolerant, warm-season bunchgrass (tillering). Adapted to most soil textures but does best on deep, moist, occasionally flooded or sub-irrigated, loamy to clay textures. Tolerant to salt and alkali. Fair forage, most palatable in late spring and early summer. Useful species for erosion control, rangeland and wildlife habitat improvement projects on adapted sites. Minimum precip. is 7 – 8 inches. Plant in summer ¼ – ½ inch deep. 1,750,000 seeds/lb.

Named Releases: ‘Salado’ (Cultivar) Released in 1982 by the Los Lunas PMC and NM AES. Selected for good seedling vigor and forage production. Origin of ecotype was south of Claunch, NM.

‘Vegas’ (Select Class) Released by the Tucson, AZ PMC and Las Vegas, NV BLM as a selected class of germplasm. Composite of 4 accessions collected in S. NV. Developed for use in the Mojave desert of southern NV for revegetation of disturbed or degraded sites.

USDA: Plant Profile | Plant Guide | Fact Sheet