Muhlenbergia mexicana(synonym of Muhlenbergia glomerata) |
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wirestem muhly |
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Habit | Plants perennial, 30–90 cm tall; rhizomatous. |
Culms | 0.5–2 mm thick; much branched above the base, not nodulose; internodes dull, puberulent or glabrous for most of their length, sometimes strigose immediately below the nodes. |
Leaves | blades 2–20 cm × 2–6 mm; flat, scabrous or smooth, those of the secondary branches similar in length and width to those of the main branches. |
Inflorescences | terminal and axillary, 2–21 × 0.3–3 cm; dense, appressed or diverging up to 30° from the inflorescence axis; primary branches 0.3–5.5 cm × over 0.1 mm. |
Spikelets | 1.5–3.8 mm, often purple-tinged. |
Glumes | subequal, 1.5–3.7 mm, approximately as long as or slightly shorter than the lemmas, 1-veined, tapering from the bases to the acuminate tips; awnless or awned; awns; if present; to 2 mm. |
Lemmas | 1.5–3.8 mm, lanceolate, pubescent on calluses and lower portion of the midveins and margins; hairs shorter than the florets; less than 1.5 mm long; tips minutely scabrous, acuminate; awnless or awned; lemma awns 0–10 mm. |
Anthers | 0.3–0.5 mm; yellowish to purplish. |
2n | =40. |
Muhlenbergia mexicana |
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Distribution | |
Discussion | Throughout North America. 2 varieties. Muhlenbergia mexicana flowers relatively late in summer after river levels drop. It is seldom collected. The similar M. andina has lemma hairs about as long as the lemma body. |
Source | Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 435 Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting |
Sibling taxa | |
Subordinate taxa | |
Synonyms | Muhlenbergia glomerata, Muhlenbergia racemosa |
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