Big sacaton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Big sacaton
Conservation status
Secure (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Genus:	Sporobolus
Species:	S. wrightii
Binomial name
Sporobolus wrightii Munro ex Scribn.
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Synonyms
Sporobolus airoides var. wrightii (Munro ex Scribn.) Gould

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Sporobolus wrightii is a type of grass known by the common names big sacaton and giant sacaton. It grows naturally in the western United States and in northern and central Mexico.

What it Looks Like

This grass is a perennial bunchgrass. This means it grows in clumps and lives for many years. It has thick stems that can grow very tall, sometimes up to 2.5 meters (about 8 feet).

Its leaves are long, usually between 20 to 70 centimeters (about 8 to 28 inches). The top part of the plant, where the seeds are, is called a panicle. It looks like a spearhead and can be up to 60 centimeters (about 2 feet) long. This panicle holds small flowers, called spikelets, which can be purplish or greenish.

Where it Grows and Why it's Important

This plant grows in flat areas like plains and desert grassland. You can also find it in places with shrubs, often in the desert. It can even grow in wet desert areas. These include desert marshes, lakes that appear only part of the year, and floodplains.

Sporobolus wrightii is very important in these areas. It helps stop soil from washing away, which is called erosion. It also slows down water runoff by catching dirt and sand. This grass can be a very common or even the main type of plant in some areas. It dominates some grasslands where it naturally grows, alongside other common grasses.

Sadly, many of these grasslands have shrunk. This happened because too many animals ate the grass (this is called overgrazing). Also, rivers were sometimes changed to flow in straight channels, which affected the natural water flow.

This grass is good food for farm animals like cows. It grows a lot of green leaves for them to eat. It is a key plant for animals that eat grass in parts of Arizona. It is also important for many kinds of wild animals.