Muhlenbergia mexicana (L.) Trin.
wirestem muhly (Mexican muhly)
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
wirestem muhly (Mexican muhly)
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Photograph
SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC
Muhlenbergia mexicana var. mexicana
Species Information
General:
Perennial grass from scaly rhizomes; stems hollow, erect, often branched above, minutely rough below the nodes, 30-90 cm tall.
Leaves:
Sheaths smooth to minutely rough, sometimes appressed-hairy below the nodes, slightly keeled; blades flat, 2-20 cm long, 2-6 mm wide, smooth to hairy below, the nerves very unequal in prominence; ligules membranous, jagged and more or less fringed with fine hairs, squared-off at the tips, 0.4-1 mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a narrow, spikelike, congested, densely flowered panicle, 2-21 cm long, 0.3-2.4 (3) cm wide, the several branches 0.3-5.5 cm long, closely appressed or slightly spreading (up to 30degree from stem axis), with secondary panicles often arising from the upper nodes; spikelets densely clustered, 1-flowered, nearly unstalked to short-stalked, often purple-tinged; glumes very narrow, 1-nerved, more or less hairy below on the keels, usually minutely short-hairy, nearly equal, (1.5) 1.8-3.7 (4) mm long, equal or slightly shorter than the lemmas, the tips long-pointed to awn-tipped, when present, the awns up to 2 mm long; lemmas lanceolate, soft-hairy below, minutely rough, short soft-hairy along the midnerves and margins on the lower half, 1.5-3.8 mm long, the tips long-pointed, unawned or awned, the awns up to 10 mm long, the calluses short soft-hairy, the hairs less than 1.5 mm long; paleas narrowly lanceolate, 1.5-3.8 mm long, the tips long-pointed; anthers 0.3-0.5 mm long, yellow to purplish.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Green
Blooming Period:
Late Summer
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Summer to Fall
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Muhlenbergia mexicana
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
1692 | 1685 | 1700 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
3 | 0 | 7 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
234 | 235 | 235 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
6 | 6 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
2 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
ESSF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
ESSF(2) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Wet, moist or mesic slopes, road embankments, ditches, lake margins, hot springs, meadows, and waste areas near railroad tracks in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; infrequent in SW and E BC; N to YT, E to NS and NB and S to ME, PA, NC, AL, AR, TX, NM, AZ and CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Agrostis mexicana L.
Muhlenbergia ambigua Torr.
Muhlenbergia foliosa (Roem. & Schult.) Trin.
Muhlenbergia foliosa subsp. ambigua (Torr.) Scribn.
Muhlenbergia foliosa subsp. setiglumis (S. Watson) Scribn.
Muhlenbergia mexicana var. filiformis (Willd.) Scribn.