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Wasowski, Sally and Andy
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Muhlenbergia capillaris (Lam.) Trin.
Gulf Muhly, Hair-awn Muhly, Hairy-awn Muhly, Hair Grass, Pink Muhly
Poaceae (Grass Family)
Synonym(s): Muhlenbergia capillaris var. capillaris
USDA Symbol: MUCA2
USDA Native Status: L48 (N), PR (N)
Hairy-awn Muhly or Gulf Muhly is usually a 1 1/2-3 ft. perennial grass with a large, airy, much-branched seed head up to half as long as the entire plant. The spikelets are purple. In fall the plant takes on a feathery, deep pink hue.
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.
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Grass/Grass-like
Root Type: Fibrous
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Venation: Parallel
Fruit Type: Caryopsis
Size Notes: Up to about 5 feet tall, often shorter.
Leaf: Yellow-Green
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: Pink , PurpleBloom Time: Oct
Distribution
USA: AL , AR , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , MO , MS , NC , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , SC , TN , TX , VA , WVNative Distribution: MA to s. IL & s.e. KS, s. to FL & e. TX, south through Mexico to Guatemala
Native Habitat: Sandy, pine openings; prairies; dry, exposed ledges
Growing Conditions
Water Use: Low , MediumLight Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry , Moist
CaCO3 Tolerance: Low
Soil Description: Sandy soils. Sandy, Sandy Loam, Clayey soils, Rocky soils.
Conditions Comments: In the fall, gulf muhly creates a stunning pink to lavender floral display. It functions well in meadow gardens and as a general garden plant.
Benefit
Conspicuous Flowers: yesInteresting Foliage: yes
Deer Resistant: High
Propagation
Propagation Material: SeedsDescription: Germinates well and grows easily.
Seed Collection: Collect seed in November when they start to lose the pink color. Use a comb so as to not damage the appearance of plants.
Mr. Smarty Plants says
Plants for a steep lot in Tennessee
August 07, 2008
I have built a home on a very steep lot (approx 1 1/2 acres)in Northern Central Tenn in Jackson County. The lot is too steep to mow and some of it is too steep to stand on comfortably. My question is...
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Groundcover for sunny yard in New Jersey
July 23, 2008
Hi. I'm looking for ground cover for a mostly sunny section of my yard. The ground we are looking to cover is next to a slight hill with in a few feet of an in ground pool. I would like something tha...
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Trimming of native muhly grasses
February 11, 2008
Do pine muhly, gulf muhly, and bull muhly need an "annual haircut"? I started wondering after reading that Lindheimer's muhly does not have to be cut back each year. I cut back all my non-muhly n...
view the full question and answer
National Wetland Indicator Status
| Region: | AGCP | AK | AW | CB | EMP | GP | HI | MW | NCNE | WMVE |
| Status: | FAC | OBL | FACU | FACU | FACU | FACU |
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
Texas Discovery Gardens - Dallas, TX
Delaware Nature Society - Hockessin, DE
NPSOT - Native Plant Society of Texas - Fredericksburg, TX
NPSOT - Fredericksburg Chapter - Fredericksburg, TX
NPSOT - Austin Chapter - Austin, TX
First United Methodist Church of Jefferson City - Jefferson City, TN
NPSOT - Williamson County Chapter - Georgetown, TX
Mt. Cuba Center - Hockessin, DE
Wildflower Center Seed Bank
LBJWC-1216 Collected 2008-10-31 in Brazoria County by Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower CenterBibliography
Bibref 1620 - Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Reprint Edition) (2009) Wasowski, S. with A. WasowskiBibref 841 - Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (2006) Burrell, C. C.
Bibref 318 - Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski
Bibref 291 - Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife (1999) Damude, N. & K.C. Bender
Search More Titles in Bibliography
Web Reference
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.Research Literature
Reslit 682 - Rates of vegetation succession on a coastal dune system in northwest Florida (1997) A. F. JohnsonReslit 860 - Influence of season of fire on flowering of wet prairie grasses in South Florida, USA (2002) M. B. Main and M. J. Barry
Reslit 1039 - Influence of Benzyladenine, Trinexapac-ethyl, or Uniconazole Applications on Height and Tillering of Six Ornamental Grasses (2009) S. R. Padhye and J. K. Groninger
Reslit 1383 - Ornamental Landscape Performance of Native and Nonnative Grasses under Low-input Conditions (2009) M. Thetford, J. G. Norcini, B. Ballard and J. H. A...
Reslit 2784 - New introduction of drought tolerant plant materials for parking lots and highway medians (1995) M. L. Robinson, U. E. Schultz
This information was provided by the Florida WIldflower Foundation.
Search More Titles in Research Literature
Additional resources
USDA: Find Muhlenbergia capillaris in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Muhlenbergia capillaris in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Muhlenbergia capillaris
Metadata
Record Modified: 2023-01-25Research By: TWC Staff, MAC