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Muhlenbergia richardsonis

Muhlenbergia richardsonis (Trin.) Rydb.

Mat Muhly

Poaceae (Grass Family)

Synonym(s): Muhlenbergia squarrosa

USDA Symbol: MURI

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), AK (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.

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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.
Leaf: Green

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Green , Brown
Bloom Time: Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct

Distribution

USA: AK , AZ , CA , CO , ID , ME , MI , MN , MT , ND , NE , NM , NV , OR , SD , UT , WA , WI , WY
Canada: AB , BC , MB , NB , NT , ON , QC , SK , YT

Growing Conditions

Water Use: High
Light Requirement: Sun
CaCO3 Tolerance: High

National Wetland Indicator Status

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

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.

Web Reference

Webref 30 - Calflora (2018) Calflora
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 richardsonis in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Muhlenbergia richardsonis in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Muhlenbergia richardsonis

Metadata

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

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