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Muhlenbergia porteri
Muhlenbergia porteri Scribn. ex Beal
Bush Muhly
Poaceae (Grass Family)
Synonym(s):
USDA Symbol: mupo2
USDA Native Status: L48 (N)
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. Muhlenberg's work and collaboration with European botanists led to great advances in the study of plants and earned him the distinction as America's first outstanding botanist.
From the Image Gallery
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Grass/Grass-like
Root Type: Fibrous
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Venation: Parallel
Fruit Type: Caryopsis
Size Notes: Up to about 3 feet tall.
Leaf: Green
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: YellowBloom Time: Apr , May
Distribution
USA: AZ , CA , CO , NM , NV , OK , TX , UTNative Distribution: W. TX to CO, NV & s. CA; also n. Mex.
Native Habitat: Dry mesas & arroyos; rocky slopes; 2000 to 6000 ft.
Growing Conditions
Water Use: MediumLight Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry
CaCO3 Tolerance: None
Soil Description: Rocky soils.
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 on display at the following locations: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. WasowskiSearch More Titles in Bibliography
Additional resources
USDA: Find Muhlenbergia porteri in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Muhlenbergia porteri in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Muhlenbergia porteri
Metadata
Record Modified: 2022-10-07Research By: TWC Staff