Plant Guide

Hilaria belangeri (Steud.) Nash
curly-mesquite
HIBE

Summary
Duration	Perennial
Growth Habit	Graminoid
U.S. Nativity	Native to U.S.
Federal T/E Status
National Wetland Indicator

Morphology/Physiology
Active Growth Period	Spring and Summer
After Harvest Regrowth Rate	Slow
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 Porosity Winter	Porous
Foliage Texture	Fine
Fruit/Seed Color	Brown
Fruit/Seed Conspicuous	No
Growth Form	Stoloniferous
Growth Rate	Moderate
Height at 20 Years, Maximum (feet)
Height, Mature (feet)	0.8
Known Allelopath	No
Leaf Retention	No
Lifespan	Moderate
Low Growing Grass	No
Nitrogen Fixation
Resprout Ability	No
Shape and Orientation	Semi-Erect
Toxicity	None

Growth Requirements
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, Minimum	6
pH, Maximum	8
Planting Density per Acre, Minimum
Planting Density per Acre, Maximum
Precipitation, Minimum	5
Precipitation, Maximum	12
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)	12
Salinity Tolerance	Low
Shade Tolerance	Intolerant
Temperature, Minimum (°F)	12

Reproduction
Bloom Period	Late Spring
Commercial Availability	Field Collections Only
Fruit/Seed Abundance	Low
Fruit/Seed Period Begin	Summer
Fruit/Seed Period End	Summer
Fruit/Seed Persistence	No
Propagated by Bare Root	No
Propagated by Bulb	No
Propagated by Container	No
Propagated by Corm	No
Propagated by Cuttings	No
Propagated by Seed	Yes
Propagated by Sod	No
Propagated by Sprigs	Yes
Propagated by Tubers	No
Seed per Pound	269000
Seed Spread Rate	Moderate
Seedling Vigor	Medium
Small Grain	No
Vegetative Spread Rate	Slow

Suitability/Use
Berry/Nut/Seed Product	No
Christmas Tree Product	No
Fodder Product	Yes
Fuelwood Product	None
Lumber Product	No
Naval Store Product	No
Nursery Stock Product	No
Palatable Browse Animal	High
Palatable Graze Animal	High
Palatable Human	No
Post Product	No
Protein Potential	Medium
Pulpwood Product	No
Veneer Product	No

Kingdom Plantae -- Plants

Subkingdom Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants

Superdivision Spermatophyta -- Seed plants

Division Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants

Class Liliopsida -- Monocotyledons

Subclass Commelinidae

Order Cyperales

Family Poaceae -- Grass family

Genus Hilaria Kunth -- curly-mesquite P

Species Hilaria belangeri (Steud.) Nash -- curly-mesquite P

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.

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.

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.

Reference

Leithead, H.L., L.L. Yarlett, & T.N. Shiflett. 1976. 100 native forage grasses in 11 southern states. USDA SCS Agriculture Handbook No. 389, Washington, DC.

Prepared By & Species Coordinator:

Percy Magee, USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Edited: 13may02 ahv; jul03 ahv; 20sep05 jsp; 070116 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS Web site<https://plants.usda.gov> or the Plant Materials Program Web site <https://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov>

Attribution: U.S. Department of Agriculture