Muhlenbergia richardsonis

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Muhlenbergia richardsonis
Muhlenbergia richardsonis FS-1.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Muhlenbergia
Species:
M. richardsonis
Binomial name
Muhlenbergia richardsonis

Muhlenbergia richardsonis, known by the common name mat muhly, is a species of grass. It is native to North America, where it can be found throughout much of Canada, Alaska, the western half of the contiguous United States through California, and in Baja California, Mexico.

Contents

Description

Muhlenbergia richardsonis is a rhizomatous perennial grass producing knotted, mat-forming stems up to about 40 centimeters long. The blue-green leaves are up to 5 or 6 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a narrow cylindrical series of tightly appressed branches bearing gray-green, single-flowered spikelets 2 or 3 millimeters long.

Habitat

Muhlenbergia richardsonis grows in a number of habitat types including talus and meadows in alpine mountain environments, wet alkaline and saline soils, desert arroyos, chaparral, forests and woodlands. It is a species of botanical interest for being an alpine plant utilizing C4 carbon fixation, reported at higher altitudes than any other C4 plant in North America. [1] It occurs at 3,670 metres (12,040 ft) of elevation in California, such as in the White Mountains [2] and 3,200 metres (10,500 ft) meters high in Utah. [3]

Prairie fens

This grass is the only known food plant for the leafhopper Flexamia huroni , which lives only in Michigan. [3] The grass is limited to alkaline prairie fens in the area, an increasingly rare habitat type, making the leafhopper a species of concern itself. [3]

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<i>Muhlenbergia minutissima</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Muhlenbergia montana</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Muhlenbergia cuspidata</i> Species of flowering plant

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.

<i>Muhlenbergia glomerata</i> Species of grass

Muhlenbergia glomerata is a species of grass known as spiked muhly and marsh muhly. It is native to North America, where it occurs across Canada and the northern half of the United States.

<i>Muhlenbergia racemosa</i> Species of grass

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<i>Hilaria mutica</i> Grass species

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<i>Muhlenbergia torreyana</i> Species of grass

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<i>Muhlenbergia lindheimeri</i> Species of flowering plant

Muhlenbergia lindheimeri is a species of bunch grass, 3-6' H, known by the common names big muhly, blue muhly, and Lindheimer's muhly. It is native to North America, where it can be found in northern Mexico and up to the Edwards Plateau region of Texas. It is also grown as an ornamental grass. as it is useful as a green screen, erosion control, water retention and nest material for many species of birds

<i>Muhlenbergia reverchonii</i> Species of flowering plant

Muhlenbergia reverchonii is a species of grass known by the common name seep muhly. It is native to Oklahoma and Texas in the United States.

<i>Muhlenbergia frondosa</i> Grass species known as common satin grass, wirestem muhly

Muhlenbergia frondosa is a species of plants in the genus Muhlenbergia and a member of the grass family. Its common name is Common satin grass or Wirestem muhly. It is informally grouped with other satin grasses, which are other species in Muhlenbergia. It is a warm-season C4-photosynthetic grass.

References

  1. ↑ Sage, R. F. & T. L. Sage. (2002). Microsite characteristics of Muhlenbergia richardsonis (Trin.) Rydb., an alpine C4 grass from the White Mountains, California. Oecologia 132:4.
  2. ↑ Jepson Manual Treatment
  3. 1 2 3 Schultz, J. (2002). Conservation Assessment of Mat Muhly (Muhlenbergia richardsonis). USDA Forest Service, Eastern Region.


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