Scientific Family
Poaceae
Synonyms
Agrostis mexicana, Muhlenbergia ambigua, Muhlenbergia foliosa
Other common names
leafy satingrass
wirestem muhly
Muhlenbergie Mexicaine
Plant type
Grasses
Riparian
Yes
Grass Description
Origin
Native
Season
Warm
Found in moist soils, often in meadows, woodlands, along stream banks, and creeks.
Plant Community
Riparian
Low elevation
5000
High elevation
11000
General Description
Perennial with scaly, vigorously creeping rhizomes. Stems are 12 to 36 inches tall, erect and much branched above the base.
Rhizomatous perennial; blades flat at maturity; ligules 1 mm long or less; seedhead of contracted branches; spikelets on short stems often purple tinged; glumes 1-nerved; awned or unawned; lemmas less than 1 mm with short hairs.
Grass type
Perennial bunchgrass
Rhizomes
Yes
Stolons
No
Clump Diameter 2 ft or more
No
Bushy - highly branched
Yes
Height with Seedheads
24 inches or more
Seedhead Structure
Branched - contracted
Seedhead droops
No
First bloom month
July
Last bloom month
October
Flower Characteristics
Flowers per Spikelet
One-flowered
Spikelets One-Sided
No
Awns
Less than 1/4 inch
Three Awns
No
Awns bent
No
Flower and Seedhead Notes
Seedhead is up to 10 inches long, spike-like and branched, appressed or diverging to 30 degrees from the main axis. The axillary seedheads are borne on long stalks rising above the leaf sheaths. Spikelets are borne on short stalks and are purplish.
Vegetative Characteristics
Blade is hairy
Yes
Blade margins white
No
Blade cross-section
Flat
Flat blades are 3/4 to 7-3/4 inches long, 1/8 inch wide, rough or smooth. Blades on secondary branches are similar in length and width to those of the main branches.
Sheath is hairy
No
Tufts of hair top of sheath or collar
No
Ligule
Membranous and hairy
Auricles
No
Fair to good.