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Muhlenbergia porteri Scribn. ex Beal

Bush muhly

Poaceae (Grass Family)

USDA Symbol: mupo2

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

Bush muhly is a 1-3 ft., bushy, semi-woody perennial grass with wiry, spreading culms more or less branched from all nodes. The slender branches and branchlets are brittle and bear few, long-pediceled spikelets which taper into a delicate awn. The scale subtending the spikelet is purple.

The genus of this plant is named for Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg (1753-1815), also Heinrich Ludwig Muehlenberg, or Henry Muhlenberg, who was a German-educated Lutheran minister and the first president of Franklin College, now Franklin and Marshall College, Pennsylvania. He is most famous due to his work in the field of botany. An accomplished botanist, chemist, and minerologist, Henry is credited with classifying and naming 150 species of plants in his 1785 work Index Flora Lancastriensis. Muhlenbergs work and collaboration with European botanists led to great advances in the study of plants and earned him the distinction as Americas first outstanding botanist.

 

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Grass/Grass-like
Root Type: Fibrous
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Venation: Parallel
Fruit Type: Caryopsis
Leaf: Green
Flower:
Fruit:
Size Class: 1-3 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Time: Apr , May

Distribution

USA: AZ , CA , CO , NM , NV , OK , TX , UT
Native Distribution: W. TX to CO, NV & s. CA; also n. Mex.
Native Habitat: Dry mesas & arroyos; rocky slopes; 2000 to 6000 ft.
USDA Native Status: L48(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry
CaCO3 Tolerance: None
Soil Description: Rocky soils.
Conditions Comments: Not Available

Find Seed or Plants

View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is either on display or available from the following:

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden - Santa Barbara, CA
Sibley Nature Center - Midland, TX

Bibliography

Bibref 995 - Native Landscaping from El Paso to L.A. (2000) Wasowski, S. and A. Wasowski

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Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Muhlenbergia porteri in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Muhlenbergia porteri in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Muhlenbergia porteri

Metadata

Record Modified: 2009-02-21
Research By: TWC Staff

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