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Muhlenbergia frondosa — wire-stemmed muhly

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Facts

Wire-stemmed muhly is native to the Northeast, but rather weedy and invasive in other parts of North America. A single wire-stemmed muhly plant can produce 450 rhizomes, fragments of which are spread from field to field by farm equipment. Thus, it can be a serious agricultural weed.

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), forest edges, forests, shores of rivers or lakes

New England distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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North America distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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Characteristics

Habitat
  • terrestrial
  • wetlands
New England state
  • Connecticut
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont
Leaf blade width
2–7 mm
Inflorescence branches
the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
Spikelet length
2.2–4 mm
Glume relative length
  • neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
  • one or both glumes are as long or longer than all of the florets
Awn on glume
  • the glume has an awn
  • the glume has no awn
One or more florets
there is one floret per spikelet
Lemma awn length
0–13 mm
Leaf sheath hair type
there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
Leaf ligule length
0.7–1.7 mm
Anther length
0.3–0.6 mm
Show all characteristics

  • Flowers

    Anther length
    0.3–0.6 mm
    Anther number
    3
    Awn on glume
    • the glume has an awn
    • the glume has no awn
    Bristles below spikelets
    no
    Floret lower bract texture
    the lemma is thin and flexible
    Floret number
    1
    Floret types within spikelet
    all the florets within a spikelet are similar
    Glume awn length
    0–2 mm
    Glume relative length
    • neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
    • one or both glumes are as long or longer than all of the florets
    Glume shape
    the glume is V-shaped in cross-section
    Glume veins
    • 1
    • 3
    Glumes per spikelet
    2
    Inflorescence arrangement
    the spikelets are uniform
    Inflorescence axis orientation
    the inflorescence axis is straight
    Inflorescence branch length
    0.3–4.2 cm
    Inflorescence branch roughness
    the inflorescence branches are smooth or only slightly rough
    Inflorescence branches
    the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
    Inflorescence crowding
    the panicle is somewhat to very congested (crowded), and the branches may not be clearly seen without close inspection
    Inflorescence length
    20–150 mm
    Inflorescence length to width ratio
    6.7–7.5
    Inflorescence type (general)
    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
    Inflorescence width
    3–20 mm
    Inforescence position
    • the spikelets are mainly carried at the end of the stem
    • the spikelets are mainly found at the nodes, in the axils of leaves, along the stem
    Lemma awn base
    the awn is attached right at the tip of the lemma
    Lemma awn coiled
    the lemma awn is straight or twisted, but not coiled one half turn
    Lemma awn length
    0–13 mm
    Lemma awn number
    • the lemma has no awn
    • the lemma has one awn on it
    Lemma awn orientation
    the awn of the lemma is straight
    Lemma base hair length
    0.3–0.8 mm
    Lemma base hairs
    the lemma has hairs at the base
    Lemma cross-section
    the lemma is flat or rounded if you cut across the midpoint
    Lemma hairs
    the lemma is hairless between the veins
    Lemma keel hairs
    the keel of the lemma is rough, or has fine hairs
    Lemma marginal vein hairs
    • the marginal vein of the lemma has fine hairs on it
    • the marginal vein of the lemma is hairless
    Lemma surface
    the surface of the lemma is relatively smooth (not counting any longitudinal veins or hairs)
    Lemma tip
    the lemma tip is a simple point, with or without an awn (long narrow extension ending in a point)
    Lemma tip shape
    the lemma tip tapers to a long narrow point (it may or may not also have an awn or teeth at the tip)
    Lemma vein number
    3
    Lower glume length
    2–4 mm
    Lower glume relative length
    the lower glume is nearly as long, or as long as, the upper glume
    One or more florets
    there is one floret per spikelet
    Palea length
    2.3–4 mm
    Palea relative length
    palea is one half to fully as long as lemma
    Reproductive system
    all the flowers on the plant have both carpels and stamens (synoecious)
    Spikelet axis length
    0 mm
    Spikelet axis tip
    there is no extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet
    Spikelet disintegration
    the spikelet breaks off above the glumes, so that after the florets fall off, the glumes remain
    Spikelet length
    2.2–4 mm
    Spikelet number per node
    0
    Spikelet pedicel
    the spikelets have pedicels
    Spikelet pedicel length
    0.4–5 mm
    Spikelet position
    the spikelets emerge from both the upper and lower halves of the inflorescence branches
    Spikelets spiny
    the spikelets do not appear spiny
    Tip of glume
    the tip of the glume is not divided (though it may have an awn on it)
    Upper glume length
    2–4 mm
    Upper glume relative length
    the upper glume is more than one half as long as the lowest lemma
    Upper glume shape
    the upper glume is widest at or below the middle

  • Fruits or seeds

    Seed length
    1.6–1.9 mm

  • Growth form

    Horizontal rooting stem
    no
    Lifespan
    the plant lives more than two years
    Rhizomes
    yes
    Roots
    the plant has rhizomes (horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)

  • Leaves

    Basal leaves
    the plant has few or no leaves coming from the base of the flowering stem
    Leaf auricles
    the leaves do not have auricles
    Leaf basal lobe hairy
    NA
    Leaf blade cross-section
    the leaf blade is more or less flat in cross-section, or slightly folded or rolled inwards
    Leaf blade hairs
    the leaf blade is hairless, but it may have tiny prickles that give it a sand-papery feel
    Leaf blade length
    4–18 cm
    Leaf blade texture
    • the leaf blade is rough and sandpapery
    • the leaf blade is smooth, or it may have soft hairs
    Leaf blade width
    2–7 mm
    Leaf ligule length
    0.7–1.7 mm
    Leaf ligule type
    the leaf ligule is in the form of a membrane with fine hairs
    Leaf margin glands
    there are no glands along the edges of the leaf blade
    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 hair type
    there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
    Leaf sheath hairs
    there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath

  • Place

    Habitat
    • terrestrial
    • wetlands
    New England state
    • Connecticut
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • New Hampshire
    • Rhode Island
    • Vermont
    Specific habitat
    • edges of forests
    • forests
    • man-made or disturbed habitats
    • shores of rivers or lakes

  • Stem, shoot, branch

    Hairs at nodes
    the stem nodes are hairless or they have very sparse hairs
    Plant height
    50–110 cm
    Roots at lower stem nodes
    no
    Stem hairs
    the stem is nearly to completely hairless
    Stem orientation
    • the stems are upright
    • the stems trail at the base, but turn upwards at the tips
    Stem spacing
    the stems grow singly or a few together (they may form diffuse colonies)
    Stem thickness at base
    0.7–1.8 mm

Wetland status

Usually occurs in wetlands, but occasionally in non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACW)

In New England

Distribution

Connecticut
present
Maine
present
Massachusetts
present
New Hampshire
present
Rhode Island
present
Vermont
present

Conservation status

Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.

Massachusetts
widespread (S-rank: S5)

From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key

3.  Muhlenbergia frondosa (Poir.) Fern. N

wire-stemmed muhly. Agrostis frondosa Poir. • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Forests and forest edges, along streams, sometimes on more disturbed soil and along lawn edges.

3×8. Muhlenbergia frondosa × Muhlenbergia schreberi → Muhlenbergia ×‌curtisetosa Scribn. is a rare hybrid grass in New England 
known from VT. It combines some features of each parent, sometimes being rhizomatous and often rooting from the lower 1 or 2 nodes (but not as weak and sprawling as 
 M. schreberi, which always lacks rhizomes). Its lower and upper glumes are 0.4–1.5 mm and 0.8–1.9 mm long, respectively (those of M. frondosa are subequal and 2–4 mm 
long, and those of M. schreberi are distinctly unequal—the lower rudimentary or lacking, the upper 0.1–0.3 mm long).

Native to North America?

Yes and no (some introduced)

Sometimes confused with

Muhlenbergia mexicana:
internodes of stem dull and minutely hairy, especially just beneath the nodes, and ligules 0.4-1 mm long (vs. M. frondosa, with internodes of stem shiny and without hairs, even just beneath the nodes, and ligules 0.7-1.7 mm long).
Muhlenbergia sobolifera:
glumes 1-2.5 mm long, broad and overlapping at base, plants usually few-branched above the base, and panicles mostly 2-5 mm wide (vs. M. frondosa, with glumes 2-4 mm long, narrow, only slightly overlapping at the base, plants usually much-branched above the base, and panicles mostly 4-15 mm wide).

Synonyms

  • Agrostis frondosa Poir.

Family

Poaceae

Genus

Muhlenbergia