Muhlenbergia porteri

Muhlenbergia porteri is a species of grass known by the common names bush muhly and Porter's muhly.

Muhlenbergia porteri
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Muhlenbergia
Species:
M. porteri
Binomial name
Muhlenbergia porteri

Distribution

The bunchgrass is native to North America, where it can be found throughout the south-western United States, from the southern Great Basin and Four Corners region to the northern Mexican Plateau and Baja California Peninsula. Specifically, Muhlenbergii porteri naturally occurs in ecoregions including the California deserts, the Great Plains from far southern Colorado into western Texas, and the Chihuahuan Desert.[1][2]

It grows at elevations of 610–1,900 metres (2,000–6,230 ft), in rocky and shrubby habitats including shadscale scrub, creosote bush scrub, desert grassland, and Joshua Tree woodlands.

Description

Muhlenbergia porteri is a perennial bunchgrass producing wiry, knotted stems up to about 80 centimeters tall.[3] The inflorescence is an open array of spreading, thread-thin branches bearing small, awned spikelets.[3] The bloom period is May and June.[3]

The species was named for Thomas Conrad Porter.[4]

References
  1. GRIN-Global Web v 1.9.6.2: Taxonomy of Muhlenbergia porteri
  2. US Forest Service Fire Ecology: Muhlenbergia porteri
  3. Jepson Manual (TJM2): Muhlenbergia porteri
  4. Ewan, Joseph (1950). Rocky Mountain Naturalists. University of Denver Press. Retrieved 21 April 2020.


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