Muhlenbergia capillaris

(Lam.) Trin.
Common names: Hairy-awn muhly
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 25. Treatment on page 188.

Plants perennial; cespitose, not rhizomatous. Culms 60-100 (150) cm, erect from the base, not conspicuously branched; internodes mostly glabrous, sometimes puberulent below the nodes. Sheaths glabrous or puberulent, basal sheaths rounded, often becoming fibrous, but never spirally coiled, at maturity; ligules 1.8-5 (10) mm, membranous, firm, strongly decurrent, obtuse; blades 10-35 (80) cm long, 2-4 mm wide, flat or involute, smooth abaxially, scabrous adaxially. Panicles 15-50 (60) cm long, 5-30 (41) cm wide, longer than wide, diffuse; primary branches 2-20 cm, capillary, diverging 30-100° from the rachises, naked basally, lower branches with 5-20 spikelets; pedicels 10-40 (50) mm, longer than the spikelets, capillary, flexible. Spikelets 3-5 mm, usually purple, occasionally green, brown, or stramineous. Glumes subequal, (0.3) 1-1.5 (2) mm, usually less than 1/2 as long as the lemmas, glabrous; lower glumes 1-veined, usually unawned, rarely awned, awns 1-3 mm; upper glumes 1-veined, rarely 3-veined, acute to acuminate, often erose, usually unawned, rarely awned, awns 1-3 (5) mm; lemmas 3-5 mm, lanceolate, not shiny, calluses shortly pubescent, apices scabrous, acuminate, sometimes with 2 setaceous teeth, teeth to 1 mm, unawned or awned, awns 2-13 (18) mm, clearly demarcated from the lemma bodies; paleas 2-4.5 mm, lanceolate, acuminate, usually unawned; anthers 1.5-2 mm, purple. Caryopses 2-2.5 mm, narrowly elliptic, brownish. 2n = unknown.

Distribution

Del., D.C., W.Va., Fla., Puerto Rico, N.J., Tex., La., Tenn., N.Y., Pa., Va., Ala., Ark., Ill., Ga., Ind., Conn., Md., Kans., Okla., Mass., Ohio, Mo., Miss., Ky., N.C., S.C.

Discussion

In the southeastern United States, Muhlenbergia capillaris usually grows in rocky or clay soils in open woodlands and savannahs and on calcareous outcrops, at elevations of 0-500 m. In the northeastern states, it is also found on diabase and sandstone outcrops and ridges. Its native range includes the southeastern United States, Bahamas, and possibly various Caribbean islands. It is also grown as an ornamental.

Muhlenbergia capillaris resembles M. reverchonii in many respects, but differs it is dull, apically scabrous lemmas.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decumbent" is not a number.

... more about "Muhlenbergia capillaris"
olivaceous +, yellow +, orange +  and purple +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
awned +  and entire +
acuminate +
Paul M. Peterson +
(Lam.) Trin. +
1 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
18 cm180 mm <br />0.18 m <br /> (?) +  and 5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (?) +
sinuous +, flexuous +  and straight +
multiple +, , +  and single +
curled +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br />) +
keeled +  and rounded +
pseudopetiolate +  and branching +
not fused +
intravaginal +, extravaginal +, branching +  and basal +
swelling +
membranous +
not pseudopetiolate +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (35 cm350 mm <br />0.35 m <br />) +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
involute +  and flat +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
spikelike +
compressed +, elliptic +, fusiform +  and elongate +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
triangular +  and dome--shaped +
sometimes longer +
membranous +
Hairy-awn muhly +
geniculate +
60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br /> (100 cm1,000 mm <br />1 m <br />) +
Del. +, D.C. +, W.Va. +, Fla. +, Puerto Rico +, N.J. +, Tex. +, La. +, Tenn. +, N.Y. +, Pa. +, Va. +, Ala. +, Ark. +, Ill. +, Ga. +, Ind. +, Conn. +, Md. +, Kans. +, Okla. +, Mass. +, Ohio +, Mo. +, Miss. +, Ky. +, N.C. +  and S.C. +
not waisted +
capillary +
pistillate +  and staminate +
bisexual +  and fertile +
round +  and compressed +
reduced +
(0)1(2-3)-veined +
shorter or longer +
subtending +
0 +  and 1/2 +
subequal +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
uncinate +
paniculate +  and racemose +
hollow +  and solid +
puberulent +  and glabrous +
not absent +
lanceolate +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
obtuse +  and decurrent +
0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
firm +  and membranous +
inconspicuous +
concealed +  and prominent +
2 +  and 1 +
acuminate +  and lanceolate +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br />) +
15cm +  and 50cm +
longer than wide +
cleistogamous +
spikelike +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
50 cm500 mm <br />0.5 m <br /> (?) +
capillary +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
dry +  and fleshy +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
spikelike +
puberulent +  and glabrous +
stramineous +, brown +, green +  and purple +
5 +  and 20 +
compressed +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
compound +  and simple +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
Gramineae +
Muhlenbergia capillaris +
Muhlenbergia +
species +
membranous +
setaceous +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
3-veined +  and 1-veined +
shorter than to longer than the florets +
acute +  and acuminate +
7 (?) +  and 13 (?) +
plant +  and cespitose +
aquatic +  and terrestrial +
dioecious +, monoecious +  and synoecious +