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GRASSES OF THE COLUMBIA BASIN OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Heather Stewart, Richard Hebda Major Groups of Grasses Table of Contents Glossary Muhlenbergia Muhly This genus was named after G.H. Muhlenberg (1753-1815), who was a dedicated grass student. Although palatable, Muhlenbergia species are seldom considered to be an important forage grass. The habit of this genus ranges from perennial and strongly rhizomatous to annual. The genus contains members that have very open to tightly closed flowerheads. The leaf sheaths are open to the base, there are no auricles, and the ligules are membraneous. There are seven species of Muhlenbergia in British Columbia, we talk about the five we know of from the Columbia Basin. Heights of Muhlenbergia species. Muhlenbergia Adapted from Douglas et al. 1994 1a. Flowerhead spread open and branching; branchlets long and very slender ....................................................................................Muhlenbergia asperifolia 1b. Flowerhead narrow (less than 2.5 cm wide); branchlets short, pressed close to the flowerhead axis................................................................................................2 2a. Lemmas not hairy at the base; leaves narrow...........................................................................3 3a. Perennial with rhizomes; stems with nodules...........................Muhlenbergia richardsonis 3b. Annual; stems often rooting at lower nodes...................................Muhlenbergia filiformis   2b. Lemmas hairy or bearded at the base; leaves 2-6 mm wide....................................................4 4a. Lemma hairs long (2-3 mm); lemmas awned.........................................Muhlenbergia andina 4b. Lemma hairs short (less than 1.5 mm); lemmas awn tipped.........Muhlenbergia glomerata   Muhlenbergia andina (Nutt.) A.S. Hitchc. Foxtail Muhly Plant: Muhlenbergia andina is a native plant that grows to 25-85 cm tall. It is a perennial with a creeping rhizome and a narrow, loosely flowered flowerhead. Leaves and Stem: Sheaths are open to the base and there are no auricles. The ligule is 0.5-1.5 mm high and blunt with fine hairs along its edge. The flat leaf blades are 2-4 mm wide. Flowerhead and Flowers: The flowerhead is narrow, 2-25 cm long, consists of a few widely spaced spikelets (this accounts for the wide range of lengths) and branches that are pressed close to the flowerhead axis. The sharp-pointed glumes have an awnlike tip. The lemmas have noticeable hairs at the base, and an awn that is 4-10 mm long Habitat: Foxtail Muhly grows in moist canyons, along streambanks and near hotsprings in the steppe and montane zones. In the Columbia Basin region it has been collected only at Fairmont Hotsprings. Foxtail Muhly is Red Listed in Douglas et al. (1998). There are no specimens of this species in the Royal BC Museum's collection. We have included a description of it because the historical record for Muhlenbergia andina is from the Columbia Basin region. Similar Species: Foxtail Muhly has not been seen at Fairmont Hotsprings for many years, and may be extinct in the Columbia Basin region; therefore nearly eliminating the chances of confusing it with any other species. Muhlenbergia asperifolia (Nees & Meyen) Parodi Alkali Muhly Plant: Muhlenbergia asperifolia is a native species that grows to 10-40 cm tall. It is a perennial with rhizomes, an open, finely branched flowerhead and tiny spikelets at the ends of the branches. Leaves and Stem: The stem is solid -- not hollow -- and slightly flattened. The open sheaths are slightly keeled and appear to overlap one another. There are no auricles, and the membraneous ligules are blunt, 0.5-1 mm high and finely hairy along the edge. The flat leaf blades have rough edges and are about 1.5-2 mm wide. Flowerhead and Flowers: The open and long flowerhead extends almost half the length of the whole plant (5-20 cm long). Spikelets are commonly one- and two-flowered. The unequal glumes are slightly rough along the keel. The lemma is longer than the glumes, and has an awn at the tip that is < 0.5 mm long. Habitat: Alkali Muhly, as the name implies, grows in wet alkaline muds or seeps in open meadows and around hotsprings. In the Columbia Basin region it occurs at Fairmont Hotsprings, Windermere and Whitetail Lake. Similar Species: Alkali Muhly may appear at first glance to resemble a Panicum grass, especially because of the open flowerhead and fine branches with small spikelets; but Panicum has only one flower to each spikelet, whereas Alkali Muhly can have one or more. Muhlenbergia filiformis (Thurb.) Rydb. Slender Muhly Plant: Muhlenbergia filiformis is a native species that grows to 3-10 cm long. It is an annual that forms perennial-looking mats because the stems run along the ground and root at the nodes. The flowerhead is narrow and has irregular spikelet placement. Leaves and Stem: The stems are solid and the smooth sheaths are open. Membraneous ligules range from blunt to pointed, and are 1-3 mm long. The flat leaf blades are 1-2.5 mm wide and often hairy on the underside. There are no auricles. Flowerhead and Flowers: The narrow flowerhead has irregularly placed spikelet branches, and sometimes there are gaps along the stem. The nearly equal, tiny, blunt glumes are shorter than the lemma, which is more or less hairy and has a sharp point with an awnlike tip. Habitat: Slender Muhly grows in lime-rich, moist seeps in open meadows. It occurs at Canal Flats in the Columbia Basin region. Similar Species: Slender Muhly may at first sight resemble Mat Muhly (M. richardsonis), but Slender Muhly is an annual, and it is smaller than Mat Muhly. Muhlenbergia glomerata (Willd.) Trin. Muhlenbergia racemosa (Michx.) B.S.P. Marsh Muhly Plant: Muhlenbergia glomerata is a native species that grows to 30-50 cm tall. It is a perennial with elongate, slender rhizomes and a narrow, spikelike flowerhead. Leaves and Stem: The open sheaths have no auricles. Stem internodes have rough hairs that point backwards. The flat leaves are 2-6 mm wide and rough to the touch. Flowerhead and Flowers: The narrow, spikelike flowerhead is 2.0-6.5 cm long. The glumes are awl-shaped and longer than the lemmas. The first glume is about ¾ the length of the second. Glume awns are as long as the glume body. The lemma has scattered hairs on the lower part, and is awn-tipped. Habitat: Marsh Muhly is a species of boreal North America ranging from Newfoundland to British Columbia and into the northern U.S.A. It is a Blue-listed species in Douglas et al. (1998), but occurs more commonly than Slender Muhly. In British Columbia it grows on lime-rich seeps, moist meadows and floodplains in the steppe and montane zones. In the Columbia Basin region it has been collected at Fairmont Hotsprings, Canal Flats and Pilot Bay Provincial Park. Similar Species: Marsh Muhly is difficult to separate from Wirestem Muhly (M. mexicana) and Satin Grass (M. racemosa), but neither of these species have been collected from the Columbia Basin region. Muhlenbergia richardsonis (Trin.) Rydb. Mat Muhly Plant: Muhlenbergia richardsonis is a native species that grows to 20-40 cm tall. It is a tufted or matted perennial with narrow leaves, a scaly rhizome and a narrow spikelike flowerhead. Leaves and Stem: The leaf sheaths are open. The roughened stem is solid and slightly flattened. Sharply pointed ligules are 1-3 mm long and rough to hairy at the edges. Inrolled leaf blades are 1-1.5 mm wide. The leaves are blue-green rather than yellow-green. Flowerhead and Flowers: The flowerhead is narrow, 5-7 cm long and spikelike. The spikelet branches appear scattered along the spike axis. The glumes are tiny but broad, about 1 mm long (much shorter than the lemma) and do not have a sharp point. They have a clearly noticeable midvein that is lightly covered in short, stiff hairs or bumps. The first glume is slightly shorter than the second. The lemma is 2.5 mm long, has no hairs at the base and is not bearded or hairy. The lemma also has a rough, minutely awned tip. Habitat: Mat Muhly grows on lime-rich sites such as moist meadows, terraces and gravel bars in the steppe and montane zones. In the Columbia Basin region it occurs at Armstrong Bay and the terrace above Findlay Creek. Similar Species: Mat muhly resembles Slender Muhly, but is much larger, has a perennial habit and grows from a rhizome.

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