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Anderson, Wynn

Muhlenbergia torreyi

Muhlenbergia torreyi (Kunth) Hitchc. ex Bush

Ring Muhly, Torrey Muhly

Poaceae (Grass Family)

Synonym(s): Muhlenbergia gracillima

USDA Symbol: MUTO2

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

9 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
Fruit Type: Caryopsis
Size Notes: Up to about 20 inches tall, often much shorter.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Green , Brown
Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct
Bloom Notes: Flowers inconspicuous.

Distribution

USA: AZ , CO , KS , NM , OK , TX , WY
Native Habitat: Prairie, Plains, Meadows, Pastures, Savannas

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil Description: Sandy, Sandy Loam

Propagation

Propagation Material: Clump Division

Bibliography

Bibref 291 - Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife (1999) Damude, N. & K.C. Bender

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Additional resources

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

Metadata

Record Modified: 2021-03-03
Research By: TWC Staff

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