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Muhlenbergia racemosa

Muhlenbergia racemosa (Michx.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb.

Marsh Muhly

Poaceae (Grass Family)

Synonym(s): Agrostis racemosa

USDA Symbol: MURA

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (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

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Grass/Grass-like
Root Type: Fibrous
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Venation: Parallel
Fruit Type: Caryopsis
Size Notes: Up to about 3-1/2 feet tall.
Leaf: Green

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Green
Bloom Time: Jul , Aug

Distribution

USA: AZ , CO , IA , ID , IL , IN , KS , ME , MI , MN , MO , MT , ND , NE , NH , NM , NV , OK , OR , SD , TX , UT , VA , WA , WI , WY
Canada: AB , BC , MB , NS , ON , QC , SK

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Part Shade
CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium

Find Seed or Plants

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FACW		FACW		FAC	FACW		FACW	FACU	FACW

This information is derived from: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. (2023). 2022 National Wetland Plant List, version 3.6. U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Vicksburg, MS. https://wetland-plants.usace.army.mil/. 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:

Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 26 - Minnesota Wildflowers: a field guide to the flora of Minnesota (2009)
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

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

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-06-07
Research By: TWC Staff

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