Biology:Muhlenbergia richardsonis
| Muhlenbergia richardsonis | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Genus: | Muhlenbergia |
| Species: | M. richardsonis
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| Binomial name | |
| Muhlenbergia richardsonis (Trin.) Rydb.
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Muhlenbergia richardsonis, known by the common name mat muhly, is a species of grass. It is native to North America, where it can be found throughout much of Canada , Alaska, the western half of the contiguous United States through California , and in Baja California, Mexico.
Description
Muhlenbergia richardsonis is a rhizomatous perennial grass producing knotted, mat-forming stems up to about 40 centimeters long. The blue-green leaves are up to 5 or 6 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a narrow cylindrical series of tightly appressed branches bearing gray-green, single-flowered spikelets 2 or 3 millimeters long.
Habitat
Muhlenbergia richardsonis grows in a number of habitat types including talus and meadows in alpine mountain environments, wet alkaline and saline soils, desert arroyos, chaparral, forests and woodlands. It is a species of botanical interest for being an alpine plant utilizing C4 carbon fixation, reported at higher altitudes than any other C4 plant in North America.[1] It occurs at 3,670 metres (12,040 ft) of elevation in California , such as in the White Mountains[2] and 3,200 metres (10,500 ft) meters high in Utah.[3]
Prairie fens
This grass is the only known food plant for the leafhopper Flexamia huroni, which lives only in Michigan.[3] The grass is limited to alkaline prairie fens in the area, an increasingly rare habitat type, making the leafhopper a species of concern itself.[3]
References
- ↑ Sage, R. F. & T. L. Sage. (2002). Microsite characteristics of Muhlenbergia richardsonis (Trin.) Rydb., an alpine C4 grass from the White Mountains, California. Oecologia 132:4.
- ↑ Jepson Manual Treatment
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Schultz, J. (2002). Conservation Assessment of Mat Muhly (Muhlenbergia richardsonis). USDA Forest Service, Eastern Region.
External links
- USDA Plants Profile - Muhlenbergia richardsonis
- Grass Manual Treatment
- US Forest Service Fire Ecology
- Muhlenbergia richardsonis - Photo gallery
Wikidata ☰ Q6933068 entry
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