Muhlenbergia alopecuroides — bristly wolfstail
![Plant form: Muhlenbergia alopecuroides. ~ By Arizona State Herbarium. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arizona State Herbarium. ~ Leslie Landrum, les.landrum[at]asu.edu ~ Southwest Environmental Information Network - swbiodiversity.org/seinet/imagelib/index.php](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Poaceae/muhlenbergia-alopecuroides-ha-azstateherb.jpg)
Copyright: various copyright holders. To reuse an image, please click it to see who you will need to contact.
Facts
Bristly wolfstail is an exotic grass that has been collected from the dump sites of nineteenth-century wool carding factories in Maine. This perennial grass is native to California, where it is considered rare. Its droopy, cylindrical inflorescences resemble "foxtails" more that "wolf's tails."
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats)
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
- Maine
- Leaf blade width
- 1–2 mm
- Inflorescence branches
-
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- there are no branch points between the base of the inflorescence axis and the flowers, or they are not obvious
- Spikelet length
- 3–4 mm
- Glume relative length
- neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
- Awn on glume
- the glume has an awn
- One or more florets
- there is one floret per spikelet
- Lemma awn length
- 1.5–3 mm
- Leaf ligule length
- 2–12 mm
- Anther length
- 1.5–2 mm
-
Flowers
- Anther length
- 1.5–2 mm
- Anther number
- 3
- Awn on glume
- the glume has an awn
- Floret lower bract texture
- the lemma is thin and flexible
- Glume relative length
- neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
- Glume veins
-
- 1
- 3
- Inflorescence arrangement
- the spikelets are uniform
- Inflorescence axis orientation
-
- the inflorescence axis is arched or curved outward
- the inflorescence axis is straight
- Inflorescence branches
-
- the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
- there are no branch points between the base of the inflorescence axis and the flowers, or they are not obvious
- Inflorescence crowding
- the panicle is somewhat to very congested (crowded), and the branches may not be clearly seen without close inspection
- Inflorescence length
- 40–100 mm
- Inflorescence type (general)
-
- the inflorescence is a spike, or is spike-like, lacking obvious branches
- the spikelets are borne on stalks or on branches
- Inflorescence type (specific)
- the inflorescence is branched, and the branches do NOT both grow from the same side of the plant AND look like spikes
- Lemma awn base
- the awn is attached right at the tip of the lemma
- Lemma awn length
- 1.5–3 mm
- Lemma awn number
- the lemma has one awn on it
- Lemma cross-section
- the lemma is V-shaped if you cut across the midpoint
- Lemma surface
- the surface of the lemma is relatively smooth (not counting any longitudinal veins or hairs)
- One or more florets
- there is one floret per spikelet
- Palea relative length
- palea is one half to fully as long as lemma
- Spikelet axis tip
- there is no extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet
- Spikelet length
- 3–4 mm
- Spikelets spiny
- the spikelets do not appear spiny
- Upper glume shape
- the upper glume is widest at or below the middle
-
Leaves
- Leaf auricles
- the leaves do not have auricles
- Leaf blade width
- 1–2 mm
- Leaf ligule length
- 2–12 mm
- Leaf ligule type
- the leaf ligule is in the form of a membrane
- Leaf sheath closed around stem
- the margins of the leaf sheath are overlapping and not fused together except in the basal half (or less)
- Leaf sheath hairs
-
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
- Maine
- Specific habitat
- man-made or disturbed habitats
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Stem spacing
- the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- absent
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- absent
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
None
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
1. Muhlenbergia alopecuroides (Griseb.) P.M. Peterson E
bristly wolfstail. Lycurus alopecuroides Griseb.; L. setosus (Nutt.) C.G. Reeder; Pleopogon setosus Nutt. • ME. Wool waste. This species has long been reported as Muhlenbergia phleoides (Kunth) P.M. Peterson (synonym: Lycurus phleoides Kunth). However, introduced plants in New England show upper leaf blades terminating in an elongate, fragile awn tip and relatively long ligules (mostly longer than 3 mm). Muhlenbergia phleoides has upper blades lacking an awn tip or with a very short one and ligules mostly shorter than 3 mm.
Native to North America?
Yes and no (some introduced)
Sometimes confused with
- Phleum pratense:
- glumes exceeding the length of the floret and concealing it, awnless or each glume with a single awn (vs. M. alopecuroides, with glumes shorter than and not concealing the floret, the first glume with 2 or 3 awns, the second with a single awn).
- Gastridium phleoides:
- glumes exceeding the length of the floret and concealing it, awnless or each glume with a single awn (vs. M. alopecuroides, with glumes shorter than and not concealing the floret, the first glume with 2 or 3 awns, the second with a single awn).
Synonyms
- Lycurus alopecuroides Griseb.
- Lycurus setosus (Nutt.) C.G. Reeder
- Pleopogon setosus Nutt.