All of the grasses listed below are warm-season, dry-soil grasses. Cool season grasses are inappropriate for most of Arizona because they need spring rains, often moist soil, and may go dormant during summer heat. Except as noted, the grasses below are perennial, are bunch grasses rather than turf-forming, and require full sun.

Grass plants reproduce both sexually with seeds and asexually using stolons and/or rhizomes. Stolons are specialized stems that run horizontally above ground. Rhizomes are stems that run horizontally underground. Both form nodes at intervals which produce roots and new shoots. The new shoots are clones of the original plant.

Most, but not all, grasses will tiller if mowed when they grow above 3" in height. Tillering is the production of new shoots, often from the edges of the clump. In southern Arizona it is best to mow at a four inch height so that shoots will shade the soil and keep roots cool. A mulching lawn mower will drop its cuttings on the ground which helps insulate the soil to prevent heating and moisture loss.

Andropogon gerardii - Big Bluestem
A great plains native growing 3' to 6' tall. Blue-green leaves. Yellow flowers, not particularly showy, bloom fall to winter. Best if watered every two weeks but needs drier soil to avoid flopping over. Full sun to part shade.

Digitaria californica - Arizona Cottontop
An Arizona native that grows 1' - 4' tall. Medium-width, blue-green leaves. Cottony seedheads appear mid summer to fall. Thrives in well-drained soil. Needs only rain, but water once a month in drought for more robust growth. Annual; should not be grazed or mown until seedheads drop.

Bouteloua curtipendula - Side Oats Grama
An Arizona native that grows 1' to 3' tall. Medium-width, gray-green leaves. Purplish flowers on one side of stalk bloom in summer. Can be turf-forming under ideal conditions. Water once a month. Will not tolerate grazing or mowing; mow when dormant.

Bouteloua gracilis - Blue Grama
An Arizona native that grows 1' to 1.5' tall. Narrow, gray-green leaves. Reddish-purple flowers bloom in summer and produce flagged seed heads. Water once a month. Do not mow during the first year until dormant to strengthen roots. Does not tolerate foot traffic.

Muhlenbergia capillaris - Regal Mist^TM
A Texas gulf coast native that rapidly grows 3' to 4' tall. Narrow, glossy green leaves. Pinkish-red flowers, looking spectacular in front of a setting sun, bloom in fall. Water every two weeks. Reseeds only in damp soil. Shear dead leaves and spent flowers in early spring.

Muhlenbergia dumosa - Bamboo Muhly
An Arizona native that rapidly grows to 6' tall. Spreads slowly with rhizomes to a 5' wide clump. Bright yellow-green, fern-like leaves have a miniature bamboo look. Insignificant flowers. Best appearance if watered every two weeks.

Muhlenbergia emersleyi 'El Toro' - Bullgrass
An Arizona native that grows 2' to 3' tall. Blue-green leaves are slightly wider than Deer Grass. Dark purple flowers bloom in fall. Best appearance if watered every two weeks. Full sun to part shade.

Muhlenbergia lindheimeri - Lindheimer's Muhly
A Texas gulf coast native that grows in a clump 1' to 2' tall and 2' to 4' wide. Blue-gray arching leaves. Rosy flowers on flower stalks up to 5' high bloom in fall and age to gray, persisting into winter. Water once a month.

Muhlenbergia rigens - Deer grass
An Arizona native mounding grass that rapidly grows to 4' tall and wide. Narrow arching green-gray leaves. Purple to yellow flowers, not showy, bloom in fall. Best appearance if watered every two weeks. Reseeds in damp soil.

Schizachyrium scoparium - Little Bluestem
A great plains native growing 3' tall. Narrow blue-green leaves turn red or purple after frost. Purplish or bronze flowers bloom late summer through fall. Some cultivars have blue leaves. Best if watered every two weeks. Full sun to part shade.

Sorghastrum nutans - Indian Grass
A great plains native growing 3' to 4' tall. Blue-green medium width leaves. Yellow to orange flowers bloom fall to winter. Best if watered every two weeks. Shade intolerant.

Sporobolus airoides - Alkali Sacaton
An Arizona native that grows 1' to 3' tall. Medium-green, narrow leaves. Rosy flower spikes bloom June through summer. Used for soil reclamation projects. Water once a month. Needs well-drained soil.

Sporobolus wrightii - Big Sacaton
An Arizona native that grows 3' to 6' tall. A cultivar, Giant Sacaton, grows to 8' tall. Medium-green, narrow leaves. Yellow to reddish flowers bloom in fall. Water once a month. Needs well-drained soil.

Buchloe dactyloides - Buffalo Grass
A great plains native that grows 6" to 1' tall. Turf-forming with stolons. Takes extreme heat and drought, but goes dormant in prolonged drought. Medium-green, narrow leaves. Deep roots provide excellent erosion control. Regrows after a fire. Water once a month to root depth. Needs well-drained soil.

Cynodon dactylon - Bermuda Grass
An African import that grows 4" to 16" tall. Turf-forming with rhizomes and stolons. Gray-green, narrow leaves. Insignificant flowers on palmate spikelets bloom summer to mid-fall, allowing propagation by seed. Considered invasive. It is the owner's obligation to mow this grass, possibly to a 2" height, to prevent flower and seed development that can lead to it escaping unchecked into the wild. Deep roots give it the ability to withstand drought. Excellent erosion control. Regrows after a fire. Grows dense under the pressure of grazing and mowing. Appearance improves if watered more than once a month.

Cortaderia selloana - Pampas Grass
A south American import that grows 6' tall. Edges of leaves are saw-toothed, can inflict a nasty cut. Showy white flowers on 8' stalks bloom mid-summer and feathery seedheads persist into fall. Roots compete with trees for moisture and nutrients. Considered invasive and undesirable. Dwarf Pampas Grass, Cortaderia selloana 'Pumila', grows to 4' tall, is sterile and does not reseed. This variety, however, is still over-competitive with native plants and has the same saw-toothed leaves.

Pennisetum setaceum - Fountain Grass
A clump-forming, mounding, African import that grows rapidly 2' to 4' tall and wide. A quick reseeder, the plant is used as an annual. Rose-colored, often arching flower spikes are 6" to 15" long. Considered invasive in elevations below Oracle. 'Cupreum' is a 2' tall, sterile seed cultivar. Off-white or pinkish flowers bloom summer into fall. Leaves turn brown with frost and plant dies in temperatures below mid-twenties.

Phyllostachys nigra var. Henonis - Henon Bamboo
A fast-growing timber bamboo from Asia to 40' tall and 4" in diameter. Blue-green stalks turn to gray-green over several years. Unlike most bamboo species, this plant is hardy to 0°F and considered quite drought tolerant once established. Very tolerant of soil type and pH, but needs grass fertilizer for best growth. In dry climates, the best location may be a flat area where water has a chance to soak into the ground. This running bamboo is said to make a good hedge and have excellent wood quality. Invasive in moist areas. Full sun to light shade.