Muhlenbergia bushii

R.W. Pohl
Common names: Nodding muhly
Endemic
Synonyms: Aristata Muhlenbergia brachyphylla
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 25. Treatment on page 158.

Plants perennial; rhizomatous, not cespitose. Culms 30-100 cm tall, 1-2 mm thick, herbaceous; internodes smooth, shiny, usually glabrous throughout. Sheaths glabrous, usually smooth, occasionally scabridulous distally; ligules 0.2-0.6 mm, membranous, truncate, ciliolate; blades 5-15 cm long, 2-7 mm wide, flat, glabrous abaxially, glabrous, smooth or scabridulous adaxially, those of the lateral branches often shorter and narrower than those of the primary branches. Panicles terminal and axillary, 4-15 cm long, 0.1-0.7 cm wide, narrow, not dense; axillary panicles common, partly included in the sheaths; branches 0.5-4 cm, ascending to appressed; pedicels 1-4 mm, glabrous. Spikelets 2.6-3.3 mm, not imbricate along the branches. Glumes subequal, 1.4-2 mm, about 1/3–2/3 as long as the lemmas, smooth or scabridulous distally, l (2) -veined, acuminate or acute, unawned or awned, awns to 1 mm; lemmas 2.6-3.3 mm, narrowly lanceolate, usually hairy on the calluses and lower 1/3 of the margins and midveins (rarely glabrous), hairs 0.5-1 mm, apices scabridulous, acuminate, unawned or awned, awns 0.5-7 mm; paleas 2.2-3.1 mm, shorter than the lemmas, narrowly lanceolate, intercostal region shortly pilose on the basal 1/3, apices acuminate; anthers 0.3-0.6 mm, yellow. Caryopses 1.5-1.8 mm, fusiform, brown. 2n = 40.

Distribution

Kans., Nebr., Okla., Tex., La., Mo., Md., N.C., W.Va., Va., Ark., Ill., Ga., Ind., Iowa, Ky.

Discussion

Muhlenbergia bushii grows in sandy alluvium, open thickets, dry woodlands, and flood plains, at elevations of 10-250 m in the central portion of the contiguous United States.

Early season plants, in which the axillary panicles are poorly developed, can be distinguished from those of M. mexicana by their shiny internodes and the tendency of the blades on the secondary branches to be shorter and narrower than those on the main branches.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Muhlenbergia bushii"
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br />) +
scabridulous +
acuminate +
Paul M. Peterson +
R.W. Pohl +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
sinuous +, flexuous +  and straight +
multiple +, , +  and single +
curled +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
keeled +  and rounded +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
not fused +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
swelling +
membranous +
not pseudopetiolate +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
involute +, folded +  and flat +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
scabridulous +  and smooth +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
ascending;appressed +
spikelike +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
with hairs +  and glabrous +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br />) +
triangular +  and dome--shaped +
sometimes longer +
membranous +
Nodding muhly +
30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br /> (100 cm1,000 mm <br />1 m <br />) +
geniculate +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (300 cm3,000 mm <br />3 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
Kans. +, Nebr. +, Okla. +, Tex. +, La. +, Mo. +, Md. +, N.C. +, W.Va. +, Va. +, Ark. +, Ill. +, Ga. +, Ind. +, Iowa +  and Ky. +
not waisted +
capillary +
pistillate +  and staminate +
bisexual +  and fertile +
round +  and compressed +
reduced +
shorter or longer +
subtending +
1/3 +  and 2/3 +
scabridulous +  and smooth +
acute +  and acuminate +
subequal +
0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
uncinate +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
paniculate +  and racemose +
hollow +  and solid +
not absent +
lanceolate +
0.26 cm2.6 mm <br />0.0026 m <br /> (0.33 cm3.3 mm <br />0.0033 m <br />) +
acuminate +  and truncate +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br />) +
membranous +
inconspicuous +
concealed +  and prominent +
2 +  and 1 +
lanceolate +
0.22 cm2.2 mm <br />0.0022 m <br /> (0.31 cm3.1 mm <br />0.0031 m <br />) +
4cm +  and 15cm +
cleistogamous +
spikelike +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
dry +  and fleshy +
spikelike +
scabridulous +
not imbricate +
1 +  and 60 +
compressed +
0.26 cm2.6 mm <br />0.0026 m <br /> (0.33 cm3.3 mm <br />0.0033 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
compound +  and simple +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Aristata +  and Muhlenbergia brachyphylla +
Muhlenbergia bushii +
Muhlenbergia +
species +
membranous +
shorter than to longer than the florets +
7 (?) +  and 13 (?) +
plant +  and not cespitose +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +
dioecious +, monoecious +  and synoecious +