East Central Texas Plains, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Southern Post Oak Savanna
Coastal Sand Plain, Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Laguna Madre Barrier Island and Coastal Marshes, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Southern Tertiary Uplands
Plant Characteristics
Growth Form
Grass & Sedge
Height
1
to
3
ft.
Spread
1.5
to
2
ft.
Leaf Retention
Deciduous
Lifespan
Perennial
Habitat and Care Requirements
Soil Type(s)
Sand, Loam, Clay, Well Drained, Moist, Dry
Light Requirement
Sun
Water Requirement
Low, Medium
Native Habitat
Grassland
Bloom and Attraction
Bloom Color
Pink, Purple
Bloom Season
Fall
Seasonal Interest
Fall Color, Seeds, Larval Host, Nesting Material
Wildlife Benefit
Butterflies, Birds, Small Mammals
Maintenance
Drought tolerant. Creates a beautiful pink to lavender floral display in the fall. Popular in mass plantings, borders, and meadow gardens. Dormant in winter. Can be used for land reclamation. Propagation: seed.
Comments
A warm-season, clumping grass with a large, airy, much-branched seed head. The spikelets are purple. Provides cover for small animals, birds, and other wildlife to hide from predators. Larval host: Orange Skipperling.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Muhlenbergia capillaris var. capillaris
References
1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 129. 3) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MUCA2. 4) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Muhlenbergia+capillaris&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 5) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=18558&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 6) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=41902#null, 7) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014. 8) Hatch, Umphres, Ardoin, 2015, Field Guide to Common Texas Grasses, pg 190, 9) https://www.coastalpoint.com/lifestyle/pinkly-muhly-grass-a-must-have-for-native-fall-color/article_7af89124-535c-11ee-ac65-4fa036eac6ca.html#:~:text=Songbirds%2C%20turkeys%20and%20small%20animals,insects%20and%20birds%20from%20predators.&text=Attracts%20butterflies%20and%20is%20a%20host%20plant%20for%20moths%20and%20butterflies., 10) chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/factsheet/pdf/fs_muca2.pdf, 11) https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/rain-garden-plants-muhlenbergia-capillaris-muhly-grass/#:~:text=These%20seed%20plumes%20are%20a,provides%20habitat%20for%20other%20wildlife.
