Curly-mesquite
Scientific Name: Hilaria belangeri (Steud.) Nash
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Usda Symbol | HIBE |
| Group | Monocot |
| Life Cycle | Perennial |
| Growth Habits | Graminoid |
| Native Locations | HIBE |
Plant Guide
Use a soil moisture meter to monitor the soil moisture where Curly-mesquite is planted.
Fact Sheet
Alternate Names
curlymesquite, mesquite-grass, curlymesquite grass, common curly-mesquite, curly mesquite, common curleymesquite, curleymesquite
Uses
Curly-mesquite is grazed all year by horses, cattle, sheep, goats, antelope, and deer.
Status
Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status, such as, state noxious status and wetland indicator values, , Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Curly-mesquite.
Description
Grass Family (Poaceae). Curly-mesquite is a native, warm-season stoloniferous perennial grass. The height range is from 4 to 10 inches. The leaf blade is flat, curly, and usually short. The leaf sheath is shorter than the internodes and mostly basal. The stem is erect and the plant is stoloniferous. The seedhead is a solitary spike usually 3/4 to 1 inches long. Distribution: For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site. From Hitchcock (1950) @ plants.usda.gov
Management
For maximum production, this grass requires proper grazing use and periodic grazing deferments of 30 to 40 days all year.
Establishment
Growth starts in late the spring and the seedheads will start emerging 30 to 40 days later. It reproduces primarily from stolons. Some stolons are aerial and produce leaves and no roots. Others creep along the ground and produce both leaves and roots at the nodes, which usually have a ring of hairs. It grows mostly in pure stands, but sometimes grows in clusters from auxiliary buds on the basal nodes. It does not tolerate shade. The plant is pale green and not a vigorous competitor. It grows on a wide variety of soils, though it grows best on loams to clay loams that have a pH of 6.8 to 7.4. Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin) Please contact your local NRCS Field Office.
Plant Traits
Growth Requirements
| Temperature, Minimum (°F) | 12 |
|---|---|
| Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils | Yes |
| Adapted to Fine Textured Soils | Yes |
| Adapted to Medium Textured Soils | Yes |
| Anaerobic Tolerance | None |
| CaCO3 Tolerance | None |
| Cold Stratification Required | No |
| Drought Tolerance | High |
| Fertility Requirement | Low |
| Fire Tolerance | High |
| Frost Free Days, Minimum | 220 |
| Hedge Tolerance | None |
| Moisture Use | Low |
| pH, Maximum | 8.0 |
| pH, Minimum | 6.0 |
| Precipitation, Maximum | 12 |
| Precipitation, Minimum | 5 |
| Root Depth, Minimum (inches) | 12 |
| Salinity Tolerance | Low |
| Shade Tolerance | Intolerant |
Morphology/Physiology
| After Harvest Regrowth Rate | Slow |
|---|---|
| Toxicity | None |
| Shape and Orientation | Semi-Erect |
| Nitrogen Fixation | None |
| Resprout Ability | No |
| Active Growth Period | Spring and Summer |
| Bloat | None |
| C:N Ratio | Medium |
| Coppice Potential | No |
| Fall Conspicuous | No |
| Fire Resistant | No |
| Flower Color | Yellow |
| Flower Conspicuous | No |
| Foliage Color | Green |
| Foliage Porosity Summer | Moderate |
| Foliage Texture | Fine |
| Low Growing Grass | No |
| Lifespan | Moderate |
| Leaf Retention | No |
| Known Allelopath | No |
| Height, Mature (feet) | 0.8 |
| Growth Rate | Moderate |
| Growth Form | Stoloniferous |
| Fruit/Seed Conspicuous | No |
| Fruit/Seed Color | Brown |
| Foliage Porosity Winter | Porous |
Reproduction
| Vegetative Spread Rate | Slow |
|---|---|
| Small Grain | No |
| Seedling Vigor | Medium |
| Seed Spread Rate | Moderate |
| Seed per Pound | 269000 |
| Fruit/Seed Persistence | No |
| Propagated by Tubers | No |
| Propagated by Sprigs | Yes |
| Propagated by Sod | No |
| Propagated by Seed | Yes |
| Propagated by Corm | No |
| Propagated by Container | No |
| Propagated by Bulb | No |
| Propagated by Bare Root | No |
| Fruit/Seed Period End | Summer |
| Fruit/Seed Period Begin | Summer |
| Fruit/Seed Abundance | Low |
| Commercial Availability | Field Collections Only |
| Bloom Period | Late Spring |
| Propagated by Cuttings | No |
Suitability/Use
| Veneer Product | No |
|---|---|
| Pulpwood Product | No |
| Protein Potential | Medium |
| Post Product | No |
| Palatable Human | No |
| Palatable Graze Animal | High |
| Palatable Browse Animal | High |
| Nursery Stock Product | No |
| Naval Store Product | No |
| Lumber Product | No |
| Fodder Product | Yes |
| Christmas Tree Product | No |
| Berry/Nut/Seed Product | No |