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Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Muhlenbergia utilis (Aparejo grass)
San Antonio River Authority

Muhlenbergia utilis

Muhlenbergia utilis (Torr.) Hitchc.

Aparejo Grass, Aparejo Muhly

Poaceae (Grass Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: muut

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

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

1 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Grass/Grass-like
Root Type: Fibrous
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Venation: Parallel
Inflorescence: Panicle
Fruit Type: Caryopsis
Size Notes: Up to about 1 foot tall.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Purple
Bloom Time: Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov
Bloom Notes: The lemmas are yellowish to light green. The anthers are yellow to purplish.

Distribution

USA: AZ , CA , NV , TX

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:AGCPAKAWCBEMPGPHIMWNCNEWMVE
Status: FACW FACW FACW FACW
This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX

Herbarium Specimen(s)

NPSOT 1095 Collected October 2, 1996 in Bexar County by Mike Fox

1 specimen(s) available in the Digital Herbarium

Additional resources

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

Metadata

Record Modified: 2014-10-26
Research By: TWC Staff

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