Muhlenbergia cuspidata

Last updated • 1 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Muhlenbergia cuspidata
Muhlenbergia cuspidata.jpg
Status TNC G4.svg
Apparently Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Muhlenbergia
Species:
M. cuspidata
Binomial name
Muhlenbergia cuspidata

Muhlenbergia cuspidata is a species of grass known by the common name plains muhly. It is native to North America where it is distributed across central Canada and the central United States. [1]

This perennial grass grows in clumps. It has shallow fibrous roots. The stems have thick, knotty, scaly bases and grow up to about 60 centimeters tall. The leaves are narrow and may be flat or folded. The inflorescence is a panicle that is very narrow and spikelike, with an uneven row of short branches. The dark green or grayish spikelets contain usually one but sometimes two flowers. [1] Blooming occurs in June through October. [2]

This grass is most common in the northern Great Plains where it grows in shortgrass prairie habitat. It is a dominant species on sloping land and it may be codominant with blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) and western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii). It also grows on mixed-grass prairies, sometimes codominating with little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium). It is a less common species on tallgrass prairies. It is most common on dry soils and it is drought-tolerant. It may also grow on eroded land. [1]

Many animals utilize the grass. Wild turkeys eat the seeds. A number of true bugs live only on this grass species. Many wild and domesticated ungulates feed on it. [1]

The Navajo people used this plant to make hairbrushes and brooms. [1] [3]

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<i>Muhlenbergia capillaris</i> Species of plant

Muhlenbergia capillaris, commonly known as the hairawn muhly, is a perennial sedge-like plant that grows to be about 30–90 cm (0.98–2.95 ft) tall and 60–90 cm (2.0–3.0 ft) wide. The plant includes a double layer; green, leaf-like structures surround the understory, and purple-pink flowers outgrow them from the bottom up. The plant is a warm-season grass, meaning that leaves begin growth in the summer. During the summer, the leaves stay green, but they morph during the fall to produce a more copper color. The seasonal changes also include the flowers, as they grow out during the fall and stay healthy till the end of autumn. The muhly grows along the border of roads and on plain prairies. The grass clumps into herds, causing bush-like establishments in the area the hairawn muhly inhabits. The flowers are very feathery and add a cloudlike appearance to the top of the grass. It is native to eastern North America and can be used for a multitude of purposes, including ornamental gardening and farming. It was voted 2012 plant of the year by the Garden Club of America.

The ecology of the Great Plains is diverse, largely owing to their great size. Differences in rainfall, elevation, and latitude create a variety of habitats including short grass, mixed grass, and tall-grass prairies, and riparian ecosystems.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Fryer, Janet L. (2009). "Muhlenbergia cuspidata". Fire Effects Information System (FEIS). US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service (USFS), Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.
  2. Peterson, Paul M. (2003). "Muhlenbergia cuspidata". Manual of Grasses for North America. Archived from the original on 2012-06-15.
  3. "Muhlenbergia cuspidata". University of Michigan Ethnobotany.