Plants cespitose, often with a knotty base, not or shortly rhizomatous. Culms in large or small clumps, stiffly erect. Blades usually narrow, but at least some over 2.5 mm wide. Panicles with 12-80 branches, averaging 2-7 spikelets per branch. Glumes and lemmas bronze or stramineous to green, or various shades of purple; anthers usually yellow or orange, occasionally red or purple. 2n = 58-103.

Bouteloua curtipendula var. caespitosa grows on loose, sandy or rocky, well drained limestone soils at 200-2500 m in the southwestern United States, Mexico, and South America. It frequently grows, and may hybridize, with B. warnockii.