Buffalograss is a native North American short-prairie grass adapted to warm, semiarid and subhumid, unirrigated conditions. It is well adapted to the Great Plains states and is one of the most important grazing grasses of the region. Buffalograss is found naturally from western Minnesota to central Montana, south to northwestern Iowa, Texas, western Louisiana, Arizona, and northern Mexico. While buffalograss has long been used for range and low-maintenance turf, its utility for such purposes waned as the use of irrigation increased.
However, as new water-conservation measures have been sought, a resurgent need has arisen for lower quality, utility turfs for roadsides, airfields, lawns and other minimum maintenance areas. As such, significant effort has been expended in breeding and selection to improve the appearance of buffalograss. As a result, the physical characteristics of buffalograsses used for turf has improved. These characteristics include better green color, better sod-forming ability, higher density, shorter plant height, and finer leaf texture. As the appearance of buffalograsses has improved, they are increasingly being used in areas where aesthetic turf is desirerd but where low maintenance is also desired. Such areas include golf course fairways and roughs, home lawns and commercial properties.