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Muhlenbergia wrightii
Muhlenbergia wrightii Vasey ex J.M. Coult.
Spike Muhly
Poaceae (Grass Family)
Synonym(s):
USDA Symbol: MUWR
USDA Native Status: L48 (N)
Wright’s muhly or spike muhly’s clumps of erect, wiry stems rise 8-24 in. from a hard crown. Perennial clumps can be 1-2 ft. in diameter. The seed head is spike-like and interrupted along its length. Leaves are narrow and light green.
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.
The species name is for Charles Wright, 1811-1885, world-wide botanical collector but mainly in Texas (1837-1852), Cuba and his native Connecticut.
From the Image Gallery
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 2 feet tall.
Leaf: Green
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: YellowBloom Time: Jun , Jul
Distribution
USA: AZ , CO , NM , OK , UTNative Distribution: CO & UT, s. to NM, AZ & n. Mex.
Native Habitat: Plains; open slopes of pinyon-juniper or pine-grassland areas
Growing Conditions
Water Use: MediumLight Requirement: Sun
CaCO3 Tolerance: High
Soil Description: Various dry soils.
Conditions Comments: Spike muhly is slow to establish but persistent.
Propagation
Description: Propagate by seed.Commercially Avail: yes
Find Seed or Plants
Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.
View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.
National Wetland Indicator Status
Region: | AGCP | AK | AW | CB | EMP | GP | HI | MW | NCNE | WMVE |
Status: | 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:Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR
Additional resources
USDA: Find Muhlenbergia wrightii in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Muhlenbergia wrightii in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Muhlenbergia wrightii
Metadata
Record Modified: 2021-03-12Research By: TWC Staff