Muhlenbergia montana (Nutt.) A.S. Hitchc.

 

by Pamela Edwards, Native Plants of Arizona 2005

Common names: Mountain muhly (1,2,3,4,5,6)

Family: Poaceae (1,4) (alt. Gramineae) (1)

Synonymy: none

Etymology: Muhlenbergia refers to G. H. E. Muhlenberg, a self-taught botanist from Pennsylvania (3,7); montana means of the mountains (1).

    

Identification

Growth form: Bunchgrass, 15-70 cm tall (1,2,3).
Roots: Root depth of ≥15 inches (4).

Stem: Non-rhizomatous, culms densely tufted and erect, branching above the base (2,3).

Leaves: Mostly basal (3); sheaths glabrous and rounded, becoming flat and relatively coiled (2,3); ligules membranous, 10-20 mm long, tapering to narrow, often frayed tip (2); blades flat to involute, 1-2 mm wide and 8-25 cm long (2,3).   

Inflorescence/flowers: Loose panicle, 5-20 cm long, ascending short, erect branches, lower branches up to 6-8 cm long (2,3); pedicels often shorter than spikelets (2); glumes thin, variable and scabrous, first glume acute, 1.5 mm long, second glume longer and broader, 3-nerved, 3-toothed (3); lemma scabrous above, pubescent below, often tinged with purple, body 3-4 mm long, tapering to an awn, 6-25 mm long (2,3); one fertile flower per spikelet (1,4).

Fruit: Inconspicuous, brown (4).  

Similar species: Muhlenbergia filiculmis has shorter ligules (4-8 mm long), blades (≤6 mm long), panicle (≤5 mm long), and awns (1-5 mm long) than M. montana (2).

 

Ecology

Life history: Perennial graminoid (2,3,4).

Native/introduced: Native to the western United States and Mexico (2,3).

Photosynthetic pathway: C₄ photosynthesis (5).

Phenology:  Flowers and fruits from July to November (2,6).

Distribution: Found in grassy parklands, on rocky slopes, canyons and mesas, elevations ranging from 1,000-3,500 m, in Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, down to southern Mexico (3,4,6); in Arizona, found on rocky slopes and ledges, often in forest openings, from 4,000-9,500 ft, reported in Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Pima, Santa Cruz, and Yavapai counties (2,6). 

 

Uses

Indicative of good soil (1); important range grass with high forage value for cattle (3,6); sensitive to trampling and overgrazing (6); high drought tolerance (4).

 

 

References

 

1.  Hogan, P., K. Huisinga, and K. Kampe. 2005. An Annotated Catalog of the Native and Naturalized Flora of Arizona. Arizona Ethnobotanical Research Association, Flagstaff, Arizona.

 

2.  Gould, F. W. 1951. Grasses of the Southwestern United States. The University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Arizona and London.

3.  Hitchcock, A. S. 1971. Manual of the Grasses of the United States: Volume One (2^nd ed). Dover Publications, Inc., New York.

4.  USDA, NRCS. 2005. The PLANTS Database [online]. Available: http://plants.usda.gov (November 2005).

5.  Pitterman, J. and R. F. Sage. 2001. The response of the high altitude C4 grass Muhlenbergia montana (Nutt.) A.S. Hitchc. to long- and short-term chilling. Journal of Experimental Botany, 52:829-838. 

6.  USFS. 2005. Fire Effects Information System [online]. Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/index.html (November 2005).

7.  The Tortoise Reserve. 2005. Lutheran Clergymen, German Patriots, Twenty Sedges, a Pennsylvania College, a Yellow Oak, and a Small Turtle: what’s in a name? [online]. Available: http://www.tortoisereserve.org/Reserve/muhlenberg.html (November 2005).