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Native Plant Society of Texas

Seep Muhly

Muhlenbergia reverchonii

Other common name(s):

Family:

Poaceae (Grass Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Leaflet Tiles © Esri — Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ, TomTom, Intermap, iPC, USGS, FAO, NPS, NRCAN, GeoBase, Kadaster NL, Ordnance Survey, Esri Japan, METI, Esri China (Hong Kong), and the GIS User Community
Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, Edwards Plateau, Texas Blackland Prairies
Stockton Plateau
Limestone Cut Plain
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Grass & Sedge

Height

1
to
3
ft.

Spread

2
to
3
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Loam, Clay, Gravelly, Limestone, Caliche, Moist, Dry

Light Requirement

Sun

Water Requirement

Medium

Native Habitat

Grassland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White, Pink, Brown

Bloom Season

Summer, Fall

Seasonal Interest

Seeds, Nectar, Pollen, Larval Host

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds, Small Mammals, Moths

Maintenance

Native to limestone grasslands. Good for prairie restorations within its range. Makes a wonderful plant for a meadow, especially if there is a little bit of moisture such as a seep. Propagation: seed.

Comments

A warm-season grass. Forms dense tufts of slender stems and foliage. Its most distinctive trait is the curly mass of old leaf blades that accumulate at the base of the grass as it ages. The seed head is delicate, purplish and branching. Seep Muhly is sometimes said to resemble a less pink, inland limestone version of Gulf muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris). Hybridizes naturally with the much larger Muhlenbergia lindheimeri to form Muhlenbergia x involuta.

References

1) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MURE2, 2) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=41937#null, 3) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=18602&locationType=County&mapType=Normal, 3) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas, 4) 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, 5) https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=441395&isprofile=0&letter=M#:~:text=Muhlenbergia%20reverchonii%2C%20sometimes%20commonly%20called,turn%20tawny%20brown%20in%20winter.
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