Species Detail Grasses

Plant - summer Willow Lake		Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants Muhlenbergia torreyi - ring muhly Synonyms: Muhlenbergia gracillima Plant Form: Grass Family: Poaceae
Plant - summer Willow Lake


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Rings form when center dies ou Willow Lake Sue Smith	Leaves Willow Lake Sue Smith	Spikelets Willow Lake Sue Smith	Seedhead Willow Lake Sue Smith	Seedheads Willow Lake Sue Smith


	Grass Description - Glossary of Grass Terminology Origin: Native Season: Warm Habitat Description: Grows on dry ridges, sandy mesas, calcareous rock outcrops, and rocky slopes. Plant Communities:Interior Chaparral, Semidesert Grasslands, Pinyon Juniper Woodland Elevation: 4000 - 6500 feet General Description Desc: Ring muhly derives its name from the peculiar growth habit it characteristically develops. As the basal tuft becomes larger with continued growth, the center dies out, leaving a ring several inches to a few feet in diameter. Identification Notes: Seedhead is open and diffuse, usually less than 6 inches tall; leaf blades are usually curved like a sickle and no more than 3 inches long; often grows in patches that form rings. Grass Type: Perennial mat or sod-forming Rhizomes: N Stolons: N Large Dense Clump (> 2 feet): N Bushy (highly branched): Y Height with Seedheads: 12 to 24 inches Seedhead Structure: Branched - open and spreading Seedhead Droops: N Flowering Period: Jul - Oct Flower Characteristics Number of Flowers per Spikelet: One-flowered Spikelets One-sided: N Awns: Less than 1/4 inch Three Awns: N Awns Bent: U Flower and Seedhead Notes: Seedhead open, often purple, much branched, branches fine and spreading. Pedicels are as long or longer than the spikelets. Vegetative Charcteristics Blade Hairy: N Blade with White Margins: N Blade Cross section: Involute Blade Notes: Blades numerous, slender to the point of being threadlike, curved rather like a bow and inrolled at the edges; from 3/8-3/4 inch long. Sheath Hairy: N Tuft of Hairs at top of Sheath or Collar: N Ligules: Membranous Auricles (Ear-like lobes at collar area: N Forage Value: Fair palatability before midsummer, this is not a good forage species and its chief value is as a soil-binder on denuded range lands.


	Arizona Cooperative Extension Yavapai County 840 Rodeo Dr #C Prescott, AZ 86305 (928) 445-6590	Version 8.0 http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailGrass.php Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022 Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson Legal Disclaimer