Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

Muhlenbergia mexicana
Wirestem muhly
Taxonomy

Synonyms: Muhlenbergia mexicana ambigua

Subspecific taxa:

Classification:

Other taxonomic & nomenclature sources: USDA Plants;  ITIS;  The Plant List;  IPNI

Images

   
View all images. View all at PhytoImages.
Species Distribution
If map does not appear refresh browser Refresh
Click map to view & download detailed occurrence records

More about map & occurrence records

County Map Legend
Absent:
Not known from county
Medium confidence:
Medium or unknown confidence;
often old records or unverifiable observations
Medium-high confidence:
Often observations by expert botanists
High confidence:
Often vouchered herbarium records
Planted / introduced:
Native species introduced outside historic range,
or only in planted locations within county (e.g., restorations)
Historic / extirpated:
Only historic records for the species; likely extirpated
(Note that this category is not yet functional)

North American distribution maps for this species: FLNA;  USDA Plants;  BONAP;  BISON

Collections, Observations & Flowering by Month [?]

J
0
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
0

Collections & Observations by Decade [?]

Species Status

Status/Listing: No Information

Notes:

Origin: Native

Species Description

General: Monocot, perennial

Roots: adventitious, rhizomes

Shoots: alternate leaf arrangment; simple leaf type; entire leaf margin; Parallel leaf venation; awl-shaped leaf shape

Inflorescence: panicle

Flowers: perfect; 3 merous; complete; hypogynous ovary position

Fruit: grain

Physiology: autotrophic

Reproduction: sexual, vegetative

Ecology & Natural History

Habitat: Species is usually distributed in woods; upland wooded slopes and ravines; wet open swales and meadows; waste ground and springy places.

ILPIN Notes: F. mexicana has awnless lemmas. F. ambigua has lemmas with awns to 9 mm. Species has scaly rhizomes. F. mexicana is common throughout the state, F. ambigua is only found in Lake county. Ref. 8 lists 2 forms in Ill. This is assumed to cover both.

Functional Relationships:

  • Pollinators:
  • Dispersal:
  • Mycorrhizae:
  • N2 fixation:

Human Relationships:

  • Edibility [?] :
  • Showy Flowers:

Wildlife and Livestock Information:

  • Food Value:
  • Cover Value:

Coefficient of Conservatism (C-value) [?] :

  • Entire State: 4
  • Chicago Area: 5

Post a Comment or Question About this Plant
Name

Email address (required)

Comment? Question? 300 word limit (required)




Enter the text code above (required)

Note: All submissions are moderated and only some are posted. Posted comments may be edited for length. An email address will not be posted, but it is required for communication with the site moderator. Comments focused outside of Illinois and neighboring states may be posted, but more attention will be given to Illinois centered information. Thanks for your interest.