Muhlenbergia mexicana

Mexican muhly

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Mexican muhly is a native perennial grass found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, and northern Sierra Nevada in riverbanks and canyon habitats at elevations of 60 to 1,530 meters. Flowering from July to August, this grass produces small, delicate inflorescences with narrow, densely packed branches 2 to 15 centimeters long. Growing with creeping rhizomes and erect stems 30 to 70 centimeters tall, it spreads gradually across moist ground. Its flat leaves are 4 to 12 centimeters long and 2 to 5 millimeters wide, with a truncate ligule that has irregular teeth. The grass produces tiny spikelets with short awns, creating a fine, feathery appearance in its native riparian environments.

Habitat: Uncommon. Riverbanks, canyons

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: 60-1530 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoRO, n SN

California counties: Butte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Plumas, Del Norte, Trinity, Lake

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.