Aquatic and Wetland Vascular Plants of the Northern Great Plains

Muhlenbergia Schreb. -- Muhly

Solitary or tufted perennials, many producing creeping, scaly rhizomes; culms erect or decumbent at the base, often branching from the nodes; leaf blades rather short relative to width, scabrous; sheaths often not overlapping, the internodes exposed; ligules membranous. Inflorescence usually a narrow, contracted, spikelike panicle (open and diffuse in M. asperifolia), terminal, sometimes axillary panicles also produced. Spikelets 1-flowered, disarticulating above the glumes, the glumes remaining after the florets have fallen; glumes unequal to subequal, keeled or rounded on the back, acute to acuminate or awned from the tip, 1-nerved; floret equal to or exceeding one or both glumes (excluding awns, if present); lemma ovate-lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, acute to acuminate, rarely awned, strongly 3-nerved, pilose at the base in some spp.; palea nearly as long as the lemma, 2-nerved.

Reference:
 
Pohl, R. W.  1969. Muhlenbergia subgenus Muhlenbergia (Gramineae) 
     in North America.  Amer. Midl. Naturalist 82:512-542.

Lead	Characteristic	Go To
1	Panicle open and diffuse, about as broad as long, the filiform branches widely spreading.	M. asperifolia
1	Panicle narrow and contracted, the branches short, ascending to appressed.	Lead 2
2	Leaf blades usually involute, 0.2-1 mm wide; panicles few-flowered, not glomerulate.	M. richardsonis
2	Leaf blades flat, 2-6(8) mm wide; panicle usually densely flowered and glomerulate.	Lead 3
3	Glumes awned, much surpassing the floret; anthers 0.5-1.5 mm long.	Lead 4
3	Glumes acuminate or short-awned, usually not to shortly surpassing the floret; anthers 0.3-0.5 mm long.	M. mexicana
4	Internodes of the culm mostly smooth and shiny; main culms usually branched above; anthers 0.5-0.8 mm long; ligules 0.6-1.5 mm long.	M. racemosa
4	Internodes of the culm puberulent and dull; main culms unbranched or branched from the base; anthers 0.8-1.5 mm long; ligules 0.2-0.6 mm long.	M. glomerata

63. Poaceae, the Grass Family

18. Muhlenbergia Schreb. -- Muhly

1. Muhlenbergia asperifolia (Nees & Meyen) Parodi -- Alkali muhly

2. Muhlenbergia glomerata (Willd.) Trin. -- Bristly muhly

3. Muhlenbergia mexicana (L.) Trin. -- Wirestem muhly

4. Muhlenbergia racemosa (Trin.) Rydb. -- Marsh muhly, green muhly

5. Muhlenbergia richardsonis (Trin.) Rydb. -- Mat muhly

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